Legalists believed that if the punishment was heavy and the law against their actions were strict, neither the powerful nor the weak would be able to escape the consequences. There are a lot of different aspects of Confucianism and Legalism that have opposing views; the role of government was one of them. In Confucianism, the government was designed to have a good ruler that the people respected and obeyed. The intent was to have the government benefit the people. Legalists on the other hand, believed that the people were there to serve the government and that the government was the main priority in the society.
Machiavelli Machiavelli’s The Prince is a handbook for rulers on how to run a state. Unlike previous works on this topics Machiavelli starts by describing the true nature of man. Previous works were based on an ideal model of citizens, were people are honest, loyal, law abiding, and generous. Machiavelli says that in reality “men are ungrateful, fickle, dissembling, cowardly, and jealous.” Machiavelli argues that princes must use ruling techniques that are effective given mans nature. Likewise, the prince must have qualities that are less than ideal in order to be an excellent ruler.
P Purpose Was is written to make someone think or do something? What? Why was it written or created? the reason why this source was made because confucius wants his leader to be educated and respectful to there empire “ The master said , if people be led by laws and uniformity be imposed on them by punishments , but will have no sense of shame S Supplemental Outside information. What relevant facts can you bring in not mentioned?
In his text, Lao-Tzu considered that a good leader is the one who governs his people with moderation for the best result. On the contrary, Machiavelli advocated the necessity for a successful leader to take control over of his people by force. Personally, I believe that a combination of their two perspectives will actually create an ideal leader in today’s world. According to Lao-Tzu, war is not necessary. He preferred a small scale of military.
Political Systems and Citizenship Political systems are instrumental in shaping the development of individual nations. These systems determine the policies that are to be followed by the government and the governed and aim to establish political stability. Their success at this, as well as their other policies, not only affect the strength of a nation, but societal contentment. The values each system embodies both reflect and influence the values of the nation where they exist. In Russia, communism has had a tremendous impact on the history of the country, while constitutional monarchy has been key to shaping the development of Great Britain.
5. Mencius, the principal spokesman for the Confucian school, advocated that a. the evil nature of human beings could be improved by moral education. b. government should be organized through benevolence and humane action. c. government should be run by laws. d. people should strive to live in harmony with nature.
A man has an obligation to act according to the commands of his conscience, even if it goes against majority opinion, the reigning leadership, or the laws of society. In cases where the government supports unjust laws Thoreau's idea of service to one's country ironically takes the form of resistance against it. Resistance is the highest form of patriotism because it demonstrates a desire not to overthrow government but to build a better one in the long term. Thoreau just wants to eliminate the ideas that make it a bad government not the entire government itself. Thoreau then talks about the issue of change through democratic ways.
All men have the right to be free and by forming a social contract, a nation can be brought together. He enforced the idea of a republic and that the people under ruling should have a part of the leadership governing how they live and that if government abused its powers ranging from law to tyranny they should be overthrown. Locke helped form the basis of modern liberalism, we use today. One of Locke’s main ideas was that men were born with a blank slate in a ‘state of nature’, and could distinguish right from wrong. He believed that man inherently had an understanding of goodness.
People once thought that the greatest obstacles to individual freedom and equality were political. They believed they could preserve freedom simply by changing the form of government from a monarchy to a republic. They claimed that the government that governs least governs the best. But in time, many persons became convinced that some government regulations of society and the economy were necessary to preserve personal freedom and equality, as well as to improve the welfare of the nation. In today’s democracies, the government plays an active role in removing inequalities and promoting freedom for all.
A democracy is a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives (reference.com). By living under a democratic government we ensure that our rulers are elected by the people to serve the people. What is the meaning of democracy in the United States? Democracy and respect for human rights have long been central components of U.S. foreign policy. Supporting democracy not only promotes such fundamental American values as religious freedom and worker rights, but also helps create a more secure, stable, and prosperous global arena in which the United States can advance its national interests.