Chapter 1 Flashcards
Politics
Resolving conflicts by asking “Who gets what, when, and how?”
Government
System of organization that resolves conflicts and allocates privileges.
Authority
Systems or people in power who have a “right” to make decisions, as viewed by the citizens.
Institutions
Organizations that employ government powers.
Judicial Branch
Interprets laws and makes sure they are constitutional.
Executive Branch
Enforces laws.
Legislative Branch
Makes laws.
Authoritarianism
Regime in which government is controlled by a singular force (person or small group) and citizens have no choice but to submit to their will.
Totalitarianism
Regime in which the government controls EVERY aspect of a citizen’s life; social, economic, and political.
Anarchy
No government or laws, complete disorder. Usually comes from a inefficient government being overthrown.
Democracy
Political authority is held in the people and their willingness to vote.
Power
The ability to get other people to do what you want.
Media
Channels for giving and receiving information (news, internet, etc.)
Social order
The way we live our collective lives, an agreement between citizens to live by the same general moral standards
Legitimate/Legitimacy
Lawful, rightful, reasonable, or justifiable.
Rules
Written directions of expected behaviors from citizens and how the government will distribute resources.
Norms
Informal, unwritten expectations of behaviors.
Political Narrative
A persuasive story about the nature of power, who should have it, and how it should be used.
Gatekeepers
Journalists and media elite determine which news stories are covered and which are not.