Lyalko S

The Scope of Government

Many questions about government concern the relations between public and private governments. How far, and over what kinds of activities, should the functional jurisdiction of public governments extend? Should the goods and services needed by the people be produced and provided entirely by private governments? Or should some industries and services be owned and operated by public governments? Should corporations and labor unions settle their disputes by themselves?

Or should some public government step in to iron out labor-management disagreements? Who should establish educational standards for schools and colleges--public or private governments? Should public governments manage the way news is reported in newspapers or on radio or television? Or should all news reporting be controlled only by private governments?

Anarchism. Some people believe that public governments should have little or no functional jurisdiction. The most extreme belief of this kind is called anarchism. Anarchists believe that all public governments conflict with personal liberty and are unnecessary. Thus, anarchists would eliminate all public governments and let only individuals and private groups govern the activities of a country. Anarchism has few followers today.

Totalitarianism. At the other extreme from anarchism is totalitarianism. Totalitarian governments demand total loyalty. They seek to regulate, or even destroy, such institutions as the family, church, corporation, or labor union. There are no limits on the functional jurisdiction of such governments. Totalitarian countries are usually governed by a small group of people. They put down all opposition and try to socialize citizens to believe the state is all-important. Individual freedoms are given little importance. Some totalitarian systems require total loyalty to a particular leader. These systems include military dictatorships that have been common in some Latin-American countries. Other totalitarian systems require citizens to believe in a certain system of ideas. All types of totalitarian governments use force, the threat of force, or terrorism to maintain control of the people. The basic idea of totalitarianism exists today--in varying degrees--in such Communist countries as China, Cuba, and North Korea. In practice, however, few governments have been able to extend their functional jurisdiction to every kind of group or individual behavior. Some private groups, such as families and churches, continue to make some rules for their members. Pluralism. Most nations have both public and private governments to make and enforce rules of behavior. These countries are called pluralistic because public and private groups have legitimacy and can affect the way the country is run. Groups representing the interests of business, farming, labor, ethnic, or racial ['reIS(q)l] segments of society work with public government to develop public policy. Each group exerts pressure on the others and on public government. Together, they produce balancing pressures that keep a single group from taking over. In pluralistic societies, interaction among interest groups is a way of forming public opinion.

Freedom for the individual is the most important value in a pluralistic system. People in pluralistic countries, such as the United States and Canada, place firm limits on government powers that affect the rights of individuals. Private individuals and groups generally accept the procedure of working out their conflicts in the judicial and legislative systems of public government. The rules for resolving conflicts are found in a constitution and laws, and are an important part of a pluralistic society. Preserving these rules thus becomes a primary goal of the political system.

The public governments of some pluralistic countries, including the Scandinavian nations and the United Kingdom, base some of their economic policies on the principles of socialism. These public governments own or operate certain basic industries or services. Other pluralistic countries, such as the United States and Canada, base their economies on the principles of capitalism, also called free enterprise. In these countries, almost all industries and services are controlled by individuals or private groups, under government regulation.

2. Study the following phrases. Recall the sentences in which they are used in the text. Use them when retelling the unit.

a) to iron out ['aIqn'aVt] phr v (1.усувати 2.згладжувати (труднощі, розбіжності) 3.ек. вирівнювати (коливання) = To settle through discussion or compromise; work out.

b) to step in ['step'In] phr v (1. втручатися, включати to step in to save the situation – втручатися в справу, щоб врятувати становище 2. забігати на хвилинку (до когось) = To enter into an activity or a situation.

c) to settle a dispute – (вирішувати суперечку; разрешить спор) = To conclude a verbal controversy(a debate) by a final decision.

Synonyms: debate, dispute, controversy, polemics, paper war, argument. These nouns denote discussion involving conflicting points of view. Argument stresses the advancement by each side of facts and reasons buttressing its contention and intended to persuade the other side: Emotions are seldom swayed by argument. Dispute stresses division of opinion by its implication of contradictory points of view and often implies animosity: A dispute arose among union members about the terms of the new contract. Controversy is especially applicable to major differences of opinion involving large groups of people rather than individuals: The use of nuclear power is the subject of widespread controversy.

d) to eliminate [I'lImIneIt] (ліквідувати, знищувати) = 1. To get rid of; remove: an effort to eliminate capital punishment; eliminated his enemies. 2. a. To leave out or omit from consideration; reject. b. To remove from consideration by defeating, as in a contest.

Synonyms: eradicate, liquidate, purge, destroy. The central meaning shared by these verbs is "to wipe out someone or something undesirable, especially by using drastic methods such as banishment or execution": eliminated all political opposition; eradicate guerrilla activity; liquidating traitors; purged all the imprisoned dissidents.

e) to put down ['pVt'daVn] ( придушувати (силою) to put down a revolt – подавити повстання; примушувати замовкнути to put down gossip – класти край чуткам) = To bring to an end; repress: put down a rebellion.

f) to exert [Ig'zE:t] (прикладати зусилля) = 1.To put to use or effect; put forth: exerted all my strength to move the box. 2. To bring to bear (чинити тиск); exercise: exert influence. 3. To put (oneself) to strenuous (енергійний) effort: exerted ourselves mightily during the campaign to raise funds.

g) interaction ["Intq'rxkS(q)n] (взаємодія) = acting on each other

h) to keep smb. from smth. /from doing smth./ утримуватися, стримуватися від чого-н.; заважати, перешкоджати кому-н. робити щось = to retain.

i) take-over ['teIk"qVvq] (державний переворот) = The act or an instance of assuming control or management of or responsibility for something, especially the seizure of power, as in a nation, political organization, or corporation. = coup d'état ['ku:deI'tQ:]

3. Find in the text English equivalents of the following words and phrases .Use them in sentences of your own and situations from the text:

сфера діяльності уряду(можливості, масштаб, межі)
крайність(чрезмерность; крайній ступінь)
пристосовувати (когось) до потреб суспільства
підтримувати контроль над людьми
розширити сферу повноважень
встановлювати правила
здійснювати тиск на щось(когось)
утримувати когось від чогось
першочергова ціль
вільна ініціатива

4. Give Ukrainian equivalents of the following words and word combinations :

to establish educational standards
the scope of government
to socialize citizens
the threat of force
to extend jurisdiction
the threat of force
to make the rules
racial segments of society
to exert pressure on smth
forming public opinion
a primary goal
free enterprise

5.Choose the suitable variant and prove it by your own examples:

Anarchism has a few / few followers today.
Totalitarian countries are / had been usually governed by a small group of people.
People in pluralistic countries place firm / firmly limits on government powers that affect the rights of individuals.
Almost all industries and services will have been / are controlled by individuals or private groups.
Who should / should be establish educational standards for schools and colleges?

6. Match each word with its definition.Write the letter of the definition on the line.

______1) Pluralism.	a) The theory or doctrine that all forms of government are oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished. Active resistance and terrorism against the state.
______2) Freedom.	b) The ruling party controls all mass media. All writers, actors, composers, and poets are licensed by the government and usually are required to belong to the ruling party.
_____3) Anarchism.	c) A condition of society in which numerous distinct ethnic, religious, or cultural groups coexist within one nation. The belief that no single explanatory system or view of reality can account for all the phenomena of life.
_____4) Totalitarianism.	d) The right to unrestricted use; full access. Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.
_____5) Free Enterprise.	e) Attitudes, perspectives, and preferences of a population toward events, circumstances, and issues of mutual interest.
_____6) Public Opinion	f) The freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with minimal government regulation.

7. Read the following statements and decide which of them are true (T) or false (F) according to the context & grammar:

Pluralistic governments demand total loyalty.
Anarchists believe that all public governments are unnecessary.

c) In pluralistic countries, almost all industries and services are controlled by individuals or private groups, under government regulation.
d) Totalitarian countries are usually governed by people’s power.

The rules for resolving conflicts are finded in a constitution and laws.
Some private groups, such as families and churches, continue to maked some rules for their members.

g) The totalitarian governments use the threat of force, or terrorism to maintain control of the people.
8. Write an annotation of the text. (NB Annotation - a critical or explanatory note; a commentary, attached to some part of a document to provide related information.)

9. Recompose the chain of the 3 components correspondingly: "synonyms – antonyms – synonyms".

Synonym	Antonym	Synonym
1)take-over	separation	faith
2)freedom	subjection	chaos ['keIPs]
3)interaction	evolution	fidelity
4)to eliminate	to exclude	to demolish
5)anarchy	treason	liberty
6)opposition	adherent	antagonist
7)belief	scepticism	Upheaval [Ap'hi:v(q)l]
8)to include	to establish	to comprise
9)loyalty	order	intercommunion

10. Retell the text: a) in detail b) in brief .
11. Answer the following questions:

What is the difference between public and private governments?
What do anarchists suggest eliminating?
Who are totalitarian countries usually governed by?
What totalitarian countries do you know?
Are pluralistic principles compatible with the principles of socialism? Prove your point of view by examples.
What is the role of public opinion in pluralistic societies?
How can the term freedom be defined?

Содержание