Chapter 11 - Terms Flashcards
politics
the exercise of power and attempts to maintain or to change power relations
power
the ability to carry out one’s will, even over the resistance of others
micropolitics
the exercise of power in everyday life, such as deciding who is going to do the housework or use the remote control
macropolitics
the exercise of large-scale power, the government being the most common example
authority
power that people consider legitimate, as rightly exercised over them; also called legitimate power
coercion
power that people do not accept as rightly exercised over them; also called illegitimate power
state
a political entity that claims monopoly on the use of violence in some particular territory; commonly known as a country
revolution
armed resistance designed to overthrow and replace a government
traditional authority
authority based on custom
rational–legal authority
authority based on law or written rules and regulations; also called bureaucratic authority
charismatic authority
authority based on an individual’s outstanding traits, which attract followers
routinization of charisma
the transfer of authority from a charismatic figure to either a traditional or a rational–legal form of authority
city-state
an independent city whose power radiates outward, bringing the adjacent area under its rule
monarchy
a form of government headed by a king or queen
democracy
a government whose authority comes from the people; the term, based on two Greek words, translates literally as “power to the people”
direct democracy
a form of democracy in which the eligible voters meet together to discuss issues and make their decisions
representative democracy
a form of democracy in which voters elect representatives to meet together to discuss issues and make decisions on their behalf
citizenship
the concept that birth (and residence or naturalization) in a country imparts basic rights
universal citizenship
the idea that everyone has the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country (or by immigrating and becoming a naturalized citizen)
dictatorship
a form of government in which an individual has seized power
oligarchy
a form of government in which a small group of individuals holds power; the rule of the many by the few
totalitarianism
a form of government that exerts almost total control over people
proportional representation
an electoral system in which seats in a legislature are divided according to the proportion of votes that each political party receives
noncentrist party
a political party that represents less popular ideas
centrist party
a political party that represents the center of political opinion
coalition government
a government in which a country’s largest party does not have enough votes to rule, and to do so aligns itself with one or more smaller parties
voter apathy
indifference and inaction on the part of individuals or groups with respect to the political process
special-interest group
a group of people who support a particular issue and who can be mobilized for political action
lobbyists
people who influence legislation on behalf of their clients
political action committee (PAC)
an organization formed by one or more special-interest groups to solicit and spend funds for the purpose of influencing legislation
anarchy
a condition of lawlessness or political disorder caused by the absence or collapse of governmental authority
pluralism
the diffusion of power among many interest groups that prevents any single group from gaining control of the government
checks and balances
the separation of powers among the three branches of U.S. government—legislative, executive, and judicial—so that each is able to nullify the actions of the other two, thus preventing any single branch from dominating the government
power elite
C. Wright Mills’ term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics who make the nation’s major decisions
ruling class
another term for the power elite
war
armed conflict between nations or politically distinct groups
dehumanization
the act or process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve the respect or other treatment ordinarily given humans; enables and encourages abuse and klling
terrorism
the use of violence or the threat of violence to produce fear in order to attain political objectives
nationalism
strongly identifying with a nation (a people) accompanied by desiring that nation to be dominant
