American Government Ch:1 Flashcards
what is the difference between natural law and laws made by government
natural law is derived from nature not society
what is the social contract and who was it put forth by
hobbes-you give up some rights for peace
how does government resolve conflict
compromise, politics and court
The difference between a parliamentary system and a presidential system
presidential- legislative/executive (people are in charge)
parliamentary-legislative+executive
legislative elects someone
what is a dictatorship
ruled by one person, complete control over citizen lives
what is the difference between autocracy and oligarchy
autocracy-one
oligarchy-few
how is power distributed and unitary federal and confederal systems
unitary-Power held centrally
federal-Federal, state, and local
confederal- Independent states
what are five benefits of democracy
1) gives people the opportunity to make choices
2) promote respect for law
3) protect the rights of minority
4) recognizes the dignity and worth of each person
5) Produces policies that promote public good
Why do you think the United States has a representative democracy
Power
What does polis mean? And where does this word come from
it’s a Greek term for city-states
explain anarchy
absence of government
definition for state
political unit can be city or state or country government sets in forces rules for people living in a state
what is sovereignty
self governing or having absolute authority within a state
definition of law
set of rules made and enforced by government
what is legitimacy
right for authority of government has over its people
what is social contract
people gave up some of their rights to the government in exchange for peace in order.
what time is philosophy put forth by and who found it
Found by Thomas hobbies in the 1600s
what are natural rights
People are born with these rights, life, liberty, property
Who believed a government has legitimacy because people give authority
John Locke
what are the functions of government
maintain order by enforcing laws
protect the nation from foreign foes
provide services as build roads, Schools, Inspect foods and medicines, assistance to low income families
Resolve conflicts by compromise, politics, and court
how is dictatorship maintained
dictatorship is maintained through force
what states have unitary systems
UK, Israel, and Japan have unitary systems
what does confederal systems help with
Helps promote economic growth between states
What system do independent states work together for a common goal
confederal system
