Government, the term applied to the institutions and processes, whether formally established or not, by which individuals and groups within a state or society are controlled and regulated for various purposes, such as common defense, general welfare, or internal peace. Thus government is an agency of the state that embraces the organizations and procedures by which laws are enacted, applied, and adjudicated.
             The major questions and controversies associated with government are not definitional. Rather, they relate to the origins of government, the best way of classifying the various types of government, and, among other things, the distribution of authority among the institutions of government. They also include questions more philosophical in nature, such as: Why is government necessary? How far should government authority extend over individuals or groups? What is the best form of gove3rnment? A discussion of these interrelated questions is the subject of this article.
             Virtually all political theorists have regarded government in some form as indispensable for society. The doctrine of anarchism, however, holds that government is unnecessary because individuals possess an instinct for mutual cooperation that obviates the need for any direction or control by government. Many anarchists also view government as an instrument designed to protect private property and perpetuate inequalities of wealth. This aspect of anarchist thought is echoed in Marxist theory, which holds that the state and government will "wither away" once the institution of private property is eliminated.
             Most students of politics subscribe to a much broader view of government's functions and purposes. In The Federalist, a collection of essays interpreting the U.S. Constitution and promoting its ratification, James Madison points to one of the more traditional and widely accepted reasons for government. The differing opinions, passions, and interests of individua...