Chapter 2 Flashcards
government
the authority/power to control and rule others
sovereign
having both the power and the right to govern (God)
Decalogue
Ten Commandments
revealed law
given by God explicitly in the Bible
natural law
given by God, the work of the law written in man’s heart.
positive law
“obey the law because man made it,” not because there is a higher law that requires it.
theocracy
government where God rules directly (early Israel), but now to generally mean “rule by clerics.” (ex, Iran).
autocracy vs democracy
rule by one person vs rule by many
Autocracy: dynasty, monarchy, absolute monarchy
dynasties are the rule by a single family; monarchies receive power by inheritance.
constitutional monarchy system of government
monarch’s power limited by a constitution (e.g., Great Britain, Netherlands)
dictatorship as system of government
a ruler with absolute authority, though uninherited (e.g., Franco of Spain)
totalitarian dictatorship
ruler with absolute authority and controlling all aspects of society (e.g., Fascism one example)
two types of national socialism
Fascism and Nazism
Nazism
racist fascism
Communism
totalitarian dictatorship that controls citizens’ property and thought.
Socialism
government control over a nation’s economy (it is a system of government, not a FORM of government)
direct democracy
people rule directly by popular vote (e.g., Switzerland)
indirect democracy
people rule indirectly through elected representatives (e.g. British parliamentary democracy or America’s democratic republic)
constitutional republic
a form of government in which people and their representatives are limited by a constitution
separation of church and state
the idea that the church and government are to be institutionally separate (to avoid a national church)
