democracy

Question 1

what is a limited government? (2)

Answer 1

• political system where government bodies are prohibited from certain activities
• concept of limited government grew popular in europe during the enlightenment, but can be dated back to the Magna Carta (1215)

Question 2

how does a limited government work? (1)

Answer 2

• government power is limited through constitutions and the creation of institutions

Question 3

what is an authoritarian government? (1)

Answer 3

• a political system where government bodies impose rules/laws without being prohibited

Question 4

how does an authoritarian government work? (2)

Answer 4

• small group of elites hold all the power
• government often does as it wishes and is associated with tyranny and oppression

Question 5

what are the three branches of the uk government? (3)

Answer 5

• executive
• legislative
• judiciary

Question 6

what does the executive branch of the government do? (2)

Answer 6

• responsible for the implementation and administration of laws
• this includes the PM and their cabinet in the uk

Question 7

what does the legislature branch of government do? (2)

Answer 7

• responsible for making and scrutinizing laws
• this is Parliament, consisting of HoC and HoL, in the uk

Question 8

what does the judiciary branch of government do? (2)

Answer 8

• responsible for interpreting and applying the law
• in the uk this includes the courts and supreme court

Question 9

describe a case study that shows the seperation of powers. (2)

Answer 9

• aug 2019 Boris Johnson as PM advised the queen to suspend parliament for 5 weeks from 9/9 to 14/10
• this was the critical period leading up to the brexit deadline of 31/10

Question 10

what are the 3 types of power as identified by Lukes (2011)? (3)

Answer 10

• power as decision making, affecting the power of public policy
• power as agenda-setting, influencing the issues and proposals that are discussed
• power as through control, the ability to shape popular beliefs, values, ideas

Question 11

what is hard power? and give examples. (7)

Answer 11

• absolute
• physical force
• miltary and economic force
• foreign policy
• direct action, short-term effect
• controlled by the state or other organisations
• ability to change the position of other people by force or coercion

Question 12

what is soft power? and examples. (7)

Answer 12

• relative
• attraction, influence
• culture
• country branding
• indirect action, long term effect
• used by non state actors, difficult to control
• ability to change the preferences of other people by attracting them

Question 13

hard power case study. (2)

Answer 13

• irans continued illicit nuclear activities means there’s been a number of economic sanctions against the country, especially from the USA
• iran was the most sanctioned country in the world until it was surpassed by Russia following its invasion of neighbouring ukraine in 2022

Question 14

what is authority? (1)

Answer 14

• the legal or formal right to give commands and make decisions

Question 15

what is authority? (1)

Answer 15

• the legal or formal right to give commands and make decisions

Question 16

is there an example of having power without authority? (2)

Answer 16

• nigel farage influenced the brexit campaign and the 2019 general election
• however, he stood for parliament 8 times from 1994 but was only elected for the first time in 2024

Question 17

define direct democracy (4)

Answer 17

• a democratic system in which the people directly make the decisions
• stems from one of the earliest conceptions of democract in ancient athens
• this form unlikely to work in large modern societies, people wouldnt have the time, motivation, or knowledge to vote on so many issues and potential laws
• referendums are a form of direct democracy still commonly used

Question 18

define representative democracy (4)

Answer 18

• people choose representatives (politicians) to make decisions on their behalf
• they’re chosen through regular, competitive, free, and fair elections
• they should be responsive to voters needs because, if they aren’t, they should be voted out in the next election
• this ensures peoples views are being represented accurately

Question 19

how does the uk political system work? (6)

Answer 19

• operates as a representative democracy
• professional politicians, who win elections, claim to represent the people
• they can be removed if they don’t serve the public
  elections based on the following rules
• free, fair, and regular elections
• universal sufferage
• party and candidate competition (voters have a choice)

Question 20

what was the NUWSS? (2)

Answer 20

• the national union of womens sufferage societies
• aimed to secure womens voting rights through peaceful and constitutional means, lobbying politicians, organising petitions, and advocating rationally for their rights, thus demonstrating their entitlement to the vote

Question 21

what was the WSPU? (4)

Answer 21

• the womens social and political union
• used militant tactics like protests, hunger strikes, and violent actions
• this was to force channge for suffragists, who were frustrated with their slow progress
• they emphasised ‘deeds not words’

Question 22

do prisoners have the right to vote? what are the arguments surrounding it? (4)

Answer 22

• no
• the ECHR deems the uk governments ban indiscriminate and disproportionate
• in 2017, a proposal was made to allow prisoners sentenced to less than a year and released on day release to return home to vote, causing significant conservative rebellion
• in 2019, scotland allowed prisoners serving 12 months or less to vote in local and devlolved elections

Question 23

what are some other barriers to voting? (7)

Answer 23

• ID needed (since 2023)
• access and mobility issues
• disengagement and apathy
• work and time constraints
• complexity of voting system (my voting doesn’t count)
• registration issues
• language and information barriers