[On the state of nature] To understand political power aright, and derive it from its original, we must consider what estate all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of Nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man (...)
The strongest branch of government is the Executive branch because it holds the most influential power of the "Three" (being the Executive, the Legislative, and the judicial branch) as well as many other "informal powers". Though the strengths of each branch of government were meant to maintain equality in the government, due to informal powers, the executive branch can override a veto from either branch. In addition, the president, who is a part of the executive branch, is more or less the face of the country, therefore the president is able gain popularity among the citizens of the United States as well as major businesses, who have the power to vote and sponsor their appointed leader ( i.e. the president).
In the immortal words of Thomas Paine, “a constitution defines and limits the powers of the government it creates” (Paine 1805). One of the great debates among Constitutional scholars is just what the exact purpose of Constitutions are. Some argue that Constitutions function as expressions of values of the populace at the time. Others theorize that Constitutions serve as tools of social coordination. While both of these theories have merit, at the end of the day, Constitutions primarily function as power maps. Ultimately, they express the power dynamics between citizens and their government, between different branches of government themselves, and between different social groups.
Government is an administration defined by the Constitution, but is also a constantly adjusting foundation by the efforts of its citizens. By Litherland (2014), government is defined as policies set in order to lead a body of people (p. 395). Over the span of time, the idea of government has been stretched, changed, and applied to various communities throughout both the nation and the world. Whether it was back in the eighteenth century, current, or in the very near future—government has existed and will continue to exist for its people and the nation it has built its foundation upon. With the use of multiple authors, those of: “Difference between Direct and Representative Democracy” (n.d.), “Federalism - Dividing Power between States and the
To make sure the government has limited authority, the founding fathers formed the concept, Separation of Powers. This system limits the power of government by dividing authority among three separate, but equally powerful, branches. The Legislative Branch writes laws, the Executive Branch orders them, and the Judicial Branch reviews them. This separation is achieved symbolically in the Constitution itself. It is important to remember, however, that although power may be balanced within the government, it does not come from the government. An important amenity the Constitution makes is that the government must derive its power from the people. The very first words of the Constitution are, “We the People of the United States…” (U.S. Constitution), a phrase the founding fathers chose very carefully. It is the people who give the power to the government and provide limitations. The people elect government officials to help guide the government 's tasks. The people have an opportunity to elect new officials to replace those whose policies have become unpopular.
Another form of power would be Authority. Authority claims to do something and to demand allegiance from a person who is legally recognized as a member of a state,
Every country since the beginning of time has competed with one another to be the most dominant country with the most power. International power differs a little bit from domestic power. Power in regards to global affairs are tangible and intangible resources that have underlying power relationships. Tangible things would be a powerful army. Some of the intangible things would be allies. There are three types of different relational power aspects. They are commanding change, controlling agendas, and establishing preferences. Commanding change is when you can convince others to change their preferences to better accommodate yours. Controlling agendas is when you make another person's agenda irrelevant and replacing it with your own. Establishing
They are thus not preclusive or exclusive to any particular race, tribe or nation. The question then arises as to where actually lay the supremacy8 among the organs of government that are created by the positive constitution. Is it also in the constitution that ascribes supremacy to itself or that the people themselves have vested with superiority?9 Superiority must be understood in its normative nature and therefore be categorized into two; that is political and legal. It is political if it does not have finality of authority and legal if it has finality of authority. This may for proper understanding be further characterized into general in the sense that it has the final authority and specific because its authority can be called to question by the overriding authority. This paper addresses these questions and others and argues that supremacy, especially legal and general, is a complex matter and can not be located in the Constitution alone or in any organ other than the judiciary that has the final authority as far as interpretation of the laws and the constitution is concerned. The Constitution is nothing, like any statute, but whatever the court makes of it by its (court) interpretation; whatever the court says the Constitution is; it is and nothing more.
There are many different views. One being that laws and policies could be formulated allowing political power. However, this power would need
Power Power is defined as the ability to do something or act in a particular way. Power has its many effects; the most popular effects are that powerful people are rude and selfish. Powerful people can be completely different people such as they are rich, smart or even strong, but they all have that one thing in common; irresponsibility. Their power will be eventually ripped away from them , they just do not know how to handle their power. Their power usually throws them in the opposite direction then they should be going. It also makes them make bad decisions.
The ability to compel another person to comply with one’s intentions is known as power. Authority is a form of power that takes its force from legitimacy, political authority that is assigned by the law or the state through legal documents. The government is an institution that is based upon authority. There are various ways in which authority can be conferred upon a governmental institution and many opinions on how it should be used. Thomas Jefferson states that a good government should be considerate of the people’s needs, and should concern itself with protecting its citizens without interfering with citizens’ personal affairs. According to this interpretation, the government must be restricted in its authority, should act in the interests
Thus, the citizens become a collective body called the “sovereign”, which is considered to be the supreme authority of the state. The sovereign acts based upon the interest of the common good, or the “general will”. The sovereign also exercises their political power through laws, which must ensure equality and liberty.
Completing Public Law, furthered an interpretation of the United States Constitution and the Rule of Law. The Constitution, is a document outlining the separation of powers (executive, legislative, judicial), is an endowment of individual liberties, and an unfunded mandate. Our representative democracy and the creation of an administrative state use politics and rules to fund the mandate.
What is Power? It is no dispute that international relations, in both contemporary times and the past, has always been characterized by power. Relationships between states are usually characterized by one state having power over the other. In reality, the international playing field is characterized by a hierarchy of
ARISTOCRACY: Government by a relatively small privileged class or by a minority consisting of those felt to be best qualified to rule.