Government Lesson Note for First Term SS1

SCHEME OF WORK

Week One and Two: Meaning and scope of the subject matter

Week Three: The state

Week Four: Basic concepts of Government: Power and Authority

Week Five: Legitimacy and Sovereignty

Week Six: Democracy

Week Seven: Political Culture and Political Socialization

Week Eight: Communalism, Socialism, and Capitalism

Week Nine: Communalism, Feudalism, Fascism, Totalitarianism, Oligarchy

Week Ten: Unitary System of Government

Week Eleven: Federal System of Government

Week Twelve: Revision

Week Thirteen: Examination

Lesson Note on Government SS1 First Term 

Below are the 2022 complete Government lesson notes for SS1 First Term

Week One and Two Topic: Meaning and Scope of the subject

Introduction

Government is machinery established by the state to organize, formulate and implement

policies in society. Government has three main institutions that assist it to carry out its

responsibilities. These institutions are called arms, organs, or branches of government.

These are the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The legislature makes the law, the

executive implements the law and the judiciary interprets the law. To learn more, click here.

 

Week Three Topic: The State and its features

Introduction:

A state may be defined as a politically organized body of people inhabiting a defined

geographical entity with an organized legitimate government. A state is free from external

control and possesses the power to secure obedience from the citizens. U.S.A, Nigeria,

Ghana, etc. are examples of states.

A state exists where there are territories, people, a government, and sovereignty, while a

nation may be seen as a body of people who feel to be naturally linked together by the same

language and culture. To learn more, click here.

 

Week Four: Basic Concepts of Government

Introduction:

Power is the ability to enforce decisions or command others to take a course of action

irrespective of their wish to do so. It is the ability to command others to behave in a certain

way.

For example, a political leader may have the ability to control the action of others by

promising those who support him wealth or honours and he may threaten to deny such

rewards to those that oppose him. Sanction is often applied for non-compliance. To learn

more, click here.

 

SS1 First Term Government Lesson Note

Week Five: Legitimacy and Sovereignty

Introduction:

Legitimacy is the acceptability of government and political systems by the people. They are

regarded as lawful. A government is legitimate if it has come into office through a recognized

and accepted procedure such as free and fair elections.

Factors that affect the legitimacy

i.    In a society where there are common values accepted by large members, the government

and political system based on such values will be legitimate.

ii.  In a state where there is a long period of political contact, legitimacy is enhanced. To

learn more, click here.

Week Six: Democracy

Introduction:

Democracy can be defined as a government of the people, by the people and for the people in

ordinary terms. Democracy is a system of government in which all the people of a state or

nation are involved in making decisions about its affairs, typically by voting to elect

representatives to a parliament or similar assembly.

Features of Democracy

(i) Elected representative: In democracy representatives elected by the people make laws

and frame policies of the government. To learn more, click here.

 

Week Seven: Communism, Socialism and Capitalism

Introduction:

Communism may be defined as a political and economic system in which the community

through common ownership, collectively controls all the means of production of goods

and services, exchange and distribution.

Karl Marx (1818-1883) writes that; communism will be achieved if the state serves as an

instrument of coercion and repression cease to exist. The slogan of communism is from “each

according to his ability and to each according to his needs”. To learn more, click here.

 

Week Eight: Communalism, Socialism, and Capitalism

Introduction:

Communism may be defined as a political and economic system in which the community

through common ownership, collectively controls all the means of production of goods

and services, exchange and distribution.

Karl Marx (1818-1883) writes that; communism will be achieved if the state serves as an

instrument of coercion and repression cease to exist. The slogan of communism is from “each

according to his ability and to each according to his needs”.

Characteristics of Communism

1. The state applies the use of force to achieve goals.

2. Most communist states are one-party state.

3. economic planning is highly centralized.

To read more, click here

 

 

Week Nine: Communalism, Feudalism, Fascism, and Totalitarianism

Introduction:

Communalism is the first, most primitive, and the simplest mode of production where the

land and what is produced on the land belong to all the members of the community and are

equitably distributed or shared.

Features of Communalism

1. What is produced belongs to the community.

2. The society is classless

3. Production is at a subsistence level

4. The means of exchange is by barter

5. Absence of commodification of labour

Feudalism can be defined as the identification of landed property with sovereignty over a

parcel of land which becomes a private hereditary possession and an asset to the family. To

learn more, click here.

 

Week Ten: Types and Characteristics of Government

Introduction:

A unitary system of government, or unitary state, is a sovereign state governed as a single

entity. The central government is supreme, and the administrative divisions exercise only

powers that the central government has delegated to them.

Features of the unitary System of Government

1. A Single Central All-powerful Government:

In a unitary state, all the powers are vested with one single central government whose

authority is supreme over all the parts of the state. It alone legislates for the entire state. Local

Governments can make rules under powers specifically delegated to them by the central

government. To learn more, click here.

 

Week Twelve: Revision

This week, we would be doing a revision of all that we learned during the term.

Week Thirteen: Examination

Afterwards, we would write an examination, which would test our knowledge of what has

been taught so far.