LAWS 2501 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Union State
20 Apr 2016
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Popular sovereignty: the principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives, who are the source of all political power. Nationalism: strong belief that the interests of a particular nation are of primary importance. Also, that people who share a common language, history, and culture should constitute an independent nation, free of foreign domination. Yack believed that the traditional understanding of popular sovereignty was much simpler: rule by the people, the author by the many/majority (rather than by a council). The new doctrine declares that instead no single person (whether a majority or not) should have the say in authority. Doctrine distinguishes between power to establish forms of government and power delegated to actual rulers. Power to establish forms of government (constituent power): unlimited and always remains with the people. Power delegated to actual rulers (constituted power): limited to those powers delegated by the people to their rulers.
