Government Oversight

Questions:

1. Lord Melbourne of Great Britain's view of government differed from Lois Blanc, a French author's, point of view. Melbourne looked at the "powers of the state and of the government within the state [as] very limited." He believed that as more laws were passed they would begin to interfere with the lives of the citizens in the state. Blanc however, thought much the opposite. He believed that the government should serve as the "supreme director of production" and should be regarded as such. Government in Louis Blanc's point of view was an all powerful structure under which every served, while Melbourne though of it as an interference.

2. Laissez-Faire - An economic belief which opposes government regulation of commerce beyond the minimum necessary for a free-enterprise system to operate according to it's own economic laws.*

3. Governments began to pull away from the ideology of laissez-faire due to "changing circumstances." Population and production growth as well as trade-union strength increasing caused more governmental and social problems. Therefore, many turned to the government to solve these problems, making Europe more and more democratic.

4. Medical science improved public health in extraordinary ways. It brought about a "much deeper understanding" of diseases and illnesses which plagued many. It also helped in the realization of unsanitization and pollution, which was the cause for much of the disease spreading among the poor.

*definition from www.dictionary.com