Viewpoints of Government
I.
Government as a “Positive Good”
A. Its proponents argue that government is necessary for the people of a society to share
in all of the opportunities provided by that entity. Without Government, there would be
chaos until the society eventually disintegrated. Thomas Paine, whose writings helped
to stir the movement for colonial independence from England during the American
Revolutionary War, believed that the government was necessary “to supply the defect
of moral virtue.” In other words, he believed that the role of Government should assist
in keeping the moral compass of the nation.
B. Supporters of this viewpoint believed that it was not government’s responsibility to
rectify not only what was wrong with American life, but to provide, through legislation
and programs, avenues to a better life. President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal (19331941) was an example of this approach. Even more ambitious were the Great Society
programs of President Lyndon Johnson, which got underway in 1965, following his
election to a full four year term. Johnson and his followers believed that, while there
was little that government could do to rectify past injustices, the government should
provide spending on a multitude of programs to upgrade the American public.
II. Government as a “Necessary Evil”
A. Its supporters believe that government’s reason to exist is to serve as a restraining force.
That is, government tells us what we can and cannot do. Government’s role is
characterized here by such terms as “prohibit”, “restrain”, “regulate”, “compel”, and
“coerce”. Government assumes this function primarily through its power to pass laws,
and to enforce them. One of the most prominent proponents of this viewpoint was
Thomas Hobbes, an Englishman who lived from 1588 to 1679. In his most famous work,
“The Leviathan”, Hobbes explained the necessity for government and, in particular, for
the monarchial form of rule. People created governments, Hobbes wrote, as protection
against themselves since life was by definition “poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” This
condition resulted from the tendency of humans to attempt to maximize their own
pleasure and passion at the expense of others. Moreover, in a state of nature, defined
here as humans living together without an organized government of laws, impartial
judges, and executives to enforce judicial decisions and rules, the unsatisfactory
resolution of disputes could lead to anarchy, which would spell the effective end of this
group as a viable entity. Therefore, with the issue of survival their foremost concern,
humans abnegated the right to govern themselves and, instead, turned over all power
and sovereignty to a ruler by a virtue of a “social contract”.
B. Others who came after Hobbes and who embraced the idea of government as the
necessary agent to protect the social order believed, however, that people of a nation
possessed certain inviolable rights and that it was the obligation of government to
protect those rights. Most notable of those adhering to this view point was John Locke,
who maintained that the citizens of a society created a government through a “social
contract” to protect those rights. Government may exercise only the authority that the
citizenry has given it. If that government does not fulfill the purpose for which it was
created, or if it exceeds the limited powers granted it, it must be replaced by a new
government more consonant with the expectations of its creators, the citizens of a state.
Locke’s ideas on a social contract and the obligations of a government to its creators are
found in the “Second Treatise of Government”, one of the most famous documents
examining political thought in the West.
C. Still another slant on the view of Government as a necessary evil was held by Thomas
Jefferson. While acknowledging the need for government, Jefferson also believed that
government could contribute best to public prosperity by allowing individuals and
businesses to manage themselves. Liberty, he believed, can be protected most
effectively by a strict adherence to the limits placed on governmental power by the
Constitution.
III. Government As An “Unnecessary Evil”
A. This view point is held by Anarchists who oppose authority because it thwarts human
development.
B. Karl Marx, also held this viewpoint, but for different reasons from anarchists. The
Marxist rejection of government stems from its belief that the government is merely a
tool of the Bourgeoisie, which worked closely with it to suppress and exploit the
working class. Marxist doctrine taught that in the aftermath of a violent overthrow of
the capitalist class through a worldwide workers’ revolution, the stage would be set for
the elimination of government, which would, in Marx’s words, “wither away”, since
exploitation would cease to exist in a classless society, whose members would be equal,
and thus the reason for rulers to no longer exist.
Ideology
I.
Ideology: A science or set of ideas whose purpose is construed on how to improve
society.
II.
Political Ideology: A coherent set of values and beliefs people hold about the purpose
and scope of government-in the actions of individuals. Ideologies are sets or systems of
beliefs that shape the thinking of individuals and how they view the world, especially in
regard to issues of “race, nationality, the role and function of government, the relations
between men & women, human responsibility for the natural environment, and many
other matters. It is easier to understand how ideas get turned into action when one
looks at the four functions political scientists attribute to ideology:
A. Explanation: Ideologies can provide us with reasons for why social and political
conditions are the way they are, especially in time of crisis.
B. Evaluation: Ideologies can provide the standards for evaluating social conditions and
political institutions and events.
C. Orientation: Ideologies can provide a sense of identity.
D. Political Program: Ideologies help people to make political choices and guide their
political actions.
The Four Major Ideologies of America
1. Liberals: Pure Liberals are liberal on both economic and social issues. They want the
government to reduce economic inequality, regulate business, tax the rich heavily, deal with
crime by addressing its (allegedly) economic causes, protect the rights of accused criminals,
allow abortion on demand, and guarantee the broadest possible freedoms of speech and
press.
2. Conservatives: Pure conservatives are conservative on both economic and social issues.
They want less government regulation of business, lower taxes, and a greater reliance on
markets, and they advocate getting tough on criminals, punishing pornographers and drug
users, and cutting back on welfare payments.
3. Libertarians: These people are advocates of free markets, low taxes, and a small
government (which makes them economic conservatives), but they are also support the
greatest amount of personal freedom in social matters, such as speech, drug use, and
abortion (which makes them social liberals).
4. Populists: These people are liberal on economic matters desiring government regulation of
business and heavy federal spending on public programs, but conservative on social matters,
opposing abortion on demand and favoring a crackdown on crime, drug use, and
pornography.
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