Course-notes Flashcards
The ability of one person to cause another
person to act in accordance with the
first person’s intentions
power
Power when used to determine who will
hold government office and how
government will behave
political power
The right to exercise political power
authority
The widely-shared perception that something
or someone should be obeyed
legitimacy
Conferring political power on those selected
by the voters in competitive elections
representative democracy
Term for the Greek city-state
polis
An identifiable group of people with a
disproportionate share of political
power
elite (political)
A political system in which the choices of
the political leaders are closely
constrained by the preferences of the
people
majoritarian politics
A philosopher who defined democracy as the
“rule of the many”
Aristotle
A theory that government is merely a
reflection of underlying economic
forces
Marxist Theory
A sociologist who presented the idea of a mostly nongovernmental power elite
Mills
Individual who worried the new government he helped to create would be too democratic
Hamilton
A sociologist who emphasized the
phenomenon of bureaucracy in
explaining political developments
Weber
A political system in which local citizens are
empowered to govern themselves
directly
community control
A political system in which those affected by
a governmental program must be
permitted to participate in the
program’s formulation
citizen participation
A North American approximation of direct
or participatory democracy
New England town meeting
A theory that no one interest group
consistently holds political power
pluralist theory
Structures of authority organized around
expertise and specialization
bureaucracy
An economist who defined democracy as the
competitive struggle by political
leaders for the people’s vote
Schumpeter
A theory that appointed civil servants make
the key governing decisions
bureaucratic theory
A term used to describe three different
political systems in which the people
are said to rule, directly or indirectly
democracy
A political system in which all or most
citizens participate directly by either
holding office or making policy
direct or participatory democracy
A theory that a few top leaders make the key
decisions without reference to popular
desires
elitist theory
It took the national government many years to implement just a fraction of the
bipartisan homeland security policies and programs.
True
Politics exists in part because people differ about who should govern and the ends
toward which they work.
true
Federal income taxes were higher in 1935 than they are today.
False In 1935, about 96 percent of all Americans paid no federal income tax whatsoever. Today
almost all families pay about 21 percent of their incomes.
Most people holding political power in the United States today are middle-class,
middle-aged, white Protestant males.
true
Constitutional amendments giving rights to African Americans and women passed by
large majorities.
true
It is easy to discern political power at work.
_____________________________________________________
False Sometimes is exercised in subtle ways that may not even be evident to those who are
exercising it.
The text suggests that, increasingly, matters that were once considered “public”
become “private,” and beyond the scope of governmental action.
______________________________________________________________________
False Increasingly matters once thought to be “private” are becoming “public.”
In the 1950s the federal government would have displayed little or no interest in a
university refusing applicants
True
Much of American political history has been a struggle over what constitutes legitimate
authority.
True
Aristotle thought of democracy as the “rule of the many.”
True
Alexander Hamilton worried that the new government would not be democratic
enough.
False Hamilton worried just the opposite, that it would be too democratic.
Everyone in the ancient Greek city-state was eligible to participate in government
False Slaves, women, minors and those without property were excluded from participation.
The New England town meeting approximates the Aristotelian ideal.
True
Some writers of the Constitution opposed democracy on the grounds that the people
would be unable to make wise decisions.
True
Democracy as used in this book refers to the rule of the many.
False The text uses Joseph Schumpter’s definition of representative democracy, not direct
democracy.
The Framers of the Constitution did not think that the “will of the people” was
synonymous with the “public good.”
True
The Framers hoped to create a representative democracy that would act swiftly and
accommodate sweeping changes in policy.
False They did not. In their view, a government that could act swiftly and in radical ways could
also do a great deal of harm.
People today have unprecedented access to information and consume more political
news than ever.
False They do have higher levels of access to news and information, but they are not giving
political news and information more attention than in the past. Most, especially young people, do
not consume political news.
Majoritarian politics probably influence relatively few issues in this country.
True
Marxist theory sees society as divided into two classes: capitalists and workers.
True
C. Wright Mills included corporate, governmental, and labor officials in his power
elite.
False Mills “power elite” consisted of corporate leaders, key military officials and key
politicians.
Today, some would add major communications media chiefs to Mills’ power elite.
True
Weber assigned a significant amount of power to appointed officials in the
bureaucracies of modern governments.
True
Weber felt that bureaucrats merely implemented public policies that are made by
elected officials.
False Weber saw power in the fact that bureaucrats also have discretion, which can cause their
implementation of policies to vary widely.
Pluralists deny the existence of elites.
___________________________________________________
False Pluralists do not believe everyone has power or that everyone has the same amount. They
recognize that there are political elites (those with a disproportionate amount of political power
and influence).
The bureaucratic view does the most to reassure one that America has been, and
continues to be, a democracy in more than name only.
______________________________________________________________
False The pluralist view is the more reassuring on this count.
The Framers suspected even highly educated persons could be manipulated by
demagogic leaders who played on their fears and prejudices.
True
A policy can be good or bad independent of the motives of the person who decided it
True
The self-interest of individuals is often an incomplete guide to their actions.
True
In the 1920s it was widely assumed that the federal government would play a small role
in citizens’ lives.
True
Who wields power—that is, who made a difference in the outcome and for what
reason—is harder to discover than who did what.
True
Political change is not always accompanied by changes in public laws.
True
The delegated to the Philadelphia convention were not popularly elected
True
The American revolution was fought for the ideal of
Linerty
Revolutionary colonists rejected the notion that the king of England had a natural prerogative to be their legitimate ruler
True
The colonists new vision of government insisted that the legislative branch be superior to the executive branch
True
Who was elected president in 1785?
John Hancock, but he never showed up to take the job
How long did the constitutional convention last?
About four months
The Pennsylvania constitution was the most radically democratic
True
Most of the framers were experienced in government and were in their fifties or sixties
FALSE
the framers of the constitution had amazing levels of political experience but were relatively young.
James Madison opposed the great compromise
True
The great compromise, which essentially saved the convention from collapsing, was directly opposed by, or not supported by, eight of he thirteen states.
True
The author of the Virginia plan reused to sign the constitution
True
The constitution did not contain a bill of rights originally, in part because the founders did not believe that the national government would be able to infringe on those rights already protected in such bills
True
Founders voted, more often than not, in terms of the economic interests of the states that they represented
True
The government suppression of American leftists after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia
Red scare
Federalist bill of 1789 criminalizing criticism of government.
Sedition axt
A 1940 act criminalizing the advocacy of violent revolution
Smith act
A 1950 act requiring the registration of all communists
Internal security act
A 1954 act denying legal rights to the communist party
Community control act
Term which describes the process whereby the Supreme Court applies provisions if the bill of rights to the states
Selective incorporatioln
A Supreme Court formula to legitimate the abridgment if the right to free speech
“Clear-and-present danger” test
Harmon another by publishing defamatory statements
Libwl
Category of individuals who mis show material is false and printed with actual malice to win a libel case
Public figures
A government action to prevent rather than punish certain expressions
Prior reatraint
The supposed superiority of right of expression over other constitutional rights
Preferred position
The use of only minimal measures to restrict potentially dangerous expression
Least means
Case in which the Supreme Court decided to apply the exclusionary rule to state and local law enforcement officers
Mapp v. Ohio
The first amendment clause prohibiting an official religion
Establishment clause
Justice who argues the first amendment protects all publications, even wholly obscene ones
Hugo black
A teaching on the origin of the world found to be religiously inspired
Creationism
A special court that approves electronic eavesdropping on foreign spies
FISA
A period during the public school say when students get religious instruction
Released time
The prohibition against the use of illegally obtained evidence in court
Exclusionary rule
A written authorization to police officers to conduct a search
Search earrant
The legal basis for the issuance of a search warrant
Probably cause
A Supreme Court case that led to rules that police officers must follow in warning arrested persons of their rights
Miranda v. Arizona
Individual who first penned the phrase “wall-of-separation” in a private letter
Thomas jefferson
One who refuses military service on religious or ethical grounds
Conscientious objector
Case in which the Supreme Court first applied the first amendment to the states
Gitlow v. New york
A relatively small political unit within which
classical democracy was practiced
city-state
