周书麟英美概况Chapter 7

Part1Part2Part3Part4Chapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart5Part6IntroductionThegovernmentsofBritainandtheUSgrewoutofthesamehistoricalandculturalmilieu.Indeed,bymanymeasuresBritishandAmericangovernmentsarepolaropposites.Britainhasaunitarymonarchylackingaformalwrittenconstitutionandhasahighlydisciplinedpoliticalparties.TheUSisafederalrepublicwithawrittenconstitutionandhasundisciplinedparties.Britainhasastrongcentralgovernmentwithlittleseparationofpoweramongthelegislative,executive,andjudicialfunctionsofgovernment.TheUShasaweakcentralgovernmentwithstrictseparationofpowersbetweenthelegislative,executiveandjudicialbranchesofgovernment.PoliticsⅠ.TheBeginningofPolitics.ThepoliticaltraditionsofBritainandtheUSdatebackabout25centuriestotheancientGreeks.TheancientGreekswerethepioneersofWesternpoliticalthinking,andtheirinfluenceremainsverygreattoday.Theword“politics”comesfromtheGreekword“polis”whichmeans“town”.Theword“government”comesfromtheGreekword“kubernete”whichreferstothesteeringoarusedonearlyGreekships.Chapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6PoliticsⅡ.TheRoleofGovernmentinPolitics.Americahasalongtraditionofprivate,non-governmentalorganizationsandassociations.Thedistinctionbetweenauthoritativegovernmentalinstitutionsandvoluntaryprivateinstitutionsisveryclearandveryobvious.Politicsisauthoritative.Thepoliticalsystemhascompulsoryjurisdictionoveritscitizens.Valuessuchaswealth,statusandopportunityareallocatedbythepoliticalsystem.Chapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6fPoliticalLegitimacyChapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6PoliticalLegitimacyGodTheWillofPeopleExcellenceWecandefinegovernmentsbasedondifferentsourceofthepoliticallegitimacy.Therearetheocracy,aristocracyanddemocracy.fPoliticalLegitimacyChapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6Ⅰ.God.TheoldestandbyfarthemostimportantsourceofpoliticallegitimacyduringrecordedhistoryisGod.InallthreeofthegreatWesternreligions,Godisdepictedaschoosingthepersonswhoaretorulemankind.Thisconceptisoftencalledthedivinerightofkings.Godspeakstotheking,andthekingspeakstothepeople.ByobeyingthekingthepeopleareobeyingGod.GOD＝＝＞KING＝＝＞PEOPLETheBritishmonarchsutilizethedivinerightprinciple.ItwasGodthatchosetheBritishroyalfamily,theHouseofWindsor,toruleoverBritain.fPoliticalLegitimacyⅡ.Excellence.Thesecondsourceofpoliticallegitimacyisexcellence.Ifpeoplebelievethatthemostexcellentpeoplearerunningthegovernment,thenitstandstoreasontoobeytheirorders.Technically,thiskindofgovernmentiscalledaristocracy.ThroughoutmostofBritishandAmericanhistoryahandfulofaristocrats,blessedwithformaleducationandexperiencedinmanagingwealth,havebeentherulers.However,inmanycountriesincludingBritainandtheUS,aristocraticlegitimacyisbecominglessimportant.Thedeclineinaristocraticlegitimacyislargelyaproductoftheriseofthethirdandgreatestmodernsourceofpoliticallegitimacy,thewillofthepeople.Chapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6fPoliticalLegitimacyⅢ.TheWillofthePeople.Themostimportantsourceofpoliticallegitimacyintheworldisthewillofthepeople.Byobeyingagovernmentthatiscarryingouttheirwishes,thepeopleareinessenceobeyingthemselves.PEOPLE＝＝＞GOVERNMENT＝＝＞PEOPLEThemostimportantpoliticaltrendintheworldoverthepastonethousandyearshasbeentheincreaseinthelevelofpublicparticipationinthepoliticalprocess.Everygovernmenttodayclaimstobedemocratic.Theriseofdemocraticlegitimacyhasspelledtheendformostmonarchies.Chapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6AbsolutismandConstitutionalismChapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6Ⅰ.AbsolutismandConstitutionalismConstitutionalismplaceslimitationsonthegovernment.Absolutegovernmentisunlimitedgovernment,whichcandowhateveritlikestoitspeople.Absoluteandconstitutionalgovernmentsaretheoppositeendsofacontinuum.Allgovernmentscanbeplacedonthescale.AbsolutismConstitutionalismEnglandunderHenryⅧBritaintodayUSTodayAbsolutismandConstitutionalismChapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6Ⅱ.UnitaryandFederalGovernmentInaunitarygovernmentthereisapre-existingcentralgovernmentwhichcreatesandcontrolssmaller,localunitsofgovernment.Britainhasaunitarygovernment.ThecentralgovernmentisinLondon,whichcancreate,reshape,reorganize,orabolishthelocalunitesofgovernments.LondonShiresRegionalcouncilsDistrictcouncilsAbsolutismandConstitutionalismChapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6Federalgovernmentsaremoreconstitutionalbecauseitsetsmorelimitsonthepowersofanationalgovernment.Inafederalgovernment,thesmallunitspre-exist,whichcometogethertocreateacentralor“federal”government.ThecentralgovernmentintheUSistheso-calledfederalgovernmentinWashingtonD.C..ThestatesaretheownersoftheUS.Eachofthestatehasaunitarygovernment.The50statesWashingtonD.C.DemocracyChapter7BritishandAmericanGovernmentPart1Part2Part3Part4Part5Part6Ⅰ.GreekOriginsofDirectDemocracyDatingbacktoancientGreek,westernthinkershavedefinedtwotypesofdemocracy.Dire