Background of Government

By contract, people surrender the power to maintain order to the state and the state protects its citizens

• Social Contract

• State

• Nation

Government that gives all key powers to the national or central government

• Consensus

• Unitary System

• State

Group of people united by bonds of ethnicity, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes, religion

• State

• Nation

• Government

The supreme and absolute authority within territorial boundaries

• Sovereignty

• Unitary System

• Social Contract

A country in which the territory of both the nation and the state coincide

• Nation-State

• Nation

• State

Political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws

• Nation

• Government

• Consensus

The institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces binding decisions on citizens

• Government

• Social Contract

• Unitary System

An agreement about basic beliefs

• Consensus

• Government

• State

A government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognized limits on the powers of those who govern

• Constitutional Government

• Confederacy

• Federal System

A loose union of independent states

• Confederacy

• Constitution

• Preamble