Concepts Flashcards
Capitalism
an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
Communism
a socioeconomic system structured upon common ownership of the means of production and characterized by the absence of social classes, money, and the state; as well as a social, political and economic ideology and movement that aims to establish this social order.
Fascism
an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
Nazism
Like fascism. Promotes racism and hatred towards certain social classes and groups.
Socialism
a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole
Authoritarianism
a form of government characterized by absolute or blind obedience to authority, as against individual freedom and related to the expectation of unquestioning obedience.
Totalitarianism
The state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible.
Autocracy
a system of government by one person with absolute power.
Theocracy
a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god
Monarchy
a form of government with a monarch at the head.
Republic
a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.
Oligarchy
a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.
Liberal Democracy
a form of government in which representative democracy operates under the principles of liberalism, i.e. protecting the rights of the individual, which are generally enshrined in law.
Social Democracy (Socialism)
a socialist system of government achieved by democratic means.
Federalism
A system of government in which power is divided between a national (federal) government and various regional governments.
Confucianism
a system of philosophical and ethical teachings founded by Confucius and developed by Mencius.
Free-Market
a market-based economy where prices for goods and services are set freely by the forces of supply and demand and are allowed to reach their point of equilibrium without intervention by government policy, and it typically entails support for highly competitive markets and private ownership
Planned Economy
an economy in which production, investment, prices, and incomes are determined centrally by a government.
Social Welfare State
A welfare state is a concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens
Conservatism
a political and social philosophy promotes retaining traditional social institutions in the context of the culture and civilization.
Liberalism
a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality
Libertarianism
an extreme laissez-faire political philosophy advocating only minimal state intervention in the lives of citizens.
Secularism
the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries.
Sectarianism
bigotry, discrimination, or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.
Anarchy
absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political ideal.
Parliament
A national representative body having supreme legislative powers within the state.
President
the elected head of a republican state.
Prime Minister
the head of an elected government; the principal minister of a sovereign or state.
Despot
a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.
Dictator
a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force.
Junta
a military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force.
Coup
a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government
Legislature
the legislative body of a country or state. Makes the laws.
Judiciary
the judicial authorities of a country; judges collectively. Judges under the constitution and the laws made by the other branches of government.
Bureaucracy
a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
Head of Government
a generic term used for either the highest, or second highest, official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony who often presides over a cabinet.
Every dad-to-day duties.
Head of State
the chief public representative of a country, such as a president or monarch, who may also be the head of government.
Represents nationally and internationally.
Freedom
the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
Equality
the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.
