Ethyl Wood Topic Two: Sovereignty, Authority, and Power Flashcards
Powerful Individuals In Today’s World
Power is territorially organized into states or countries that control what happens within their borders
States
“The organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory” = controls who can and cannot use weapons and force (sets rules to how violence is conducted)
What do States sponsor?
Armies, navies, and/or air forces that legitimately use power and sometimes violence. Individual citizens are very restricted
Institutions
Stable, long lasting organizations that help turn political ideas into policy. (Ex: bureaucracies, legislatures, judicial systems, and political parties)
Sovereignty
The ability to carry out actions or policies within their borders independently from interference either from the inside or the outside
Corruption
States that lack autonomy; not independent; exploited by leaders and/or organizations that see states as a resource to use their own ends. (Prevalent in LDC’s and NIC’s)
General Welfare
Health, Transportation, and Effective Communication Systems
What is a state that is unable to exercise sovereignty lacking?
Autonomy, because it is lacking independence it may be exploited, this results in high level corruption.
Nation
A group of people that are bound by a common political identity
Nationalism
Sense of belonging and identity between nations
Patriotism
The resulting pride and loyalty that individuals feel toward their nations
Binational/Multinational State
One that contains more than one nation
Stateless nations
People without a state
Core Areas
Expanding along their frontiers. The growth generally stops when they bump up against other nation-states, causing them to define boundaries.
States periphery
Outlying areas (towns get smaller/factories fewer)
Multicore states
States with more than one core area
Regime
Rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power
Democracies
Based on the authority and will of the people
Indirect Democracies
The people elect representatives
Direct Democracies
Individuals have immediate say over many decisions the government makes
How many branches do democratic governments usually have?
Three major branches: executives, legislatures, and judicial courts.
Parliamentary Systems
A system where citizens vote for legislative representatives, who in turn select leaders of the executive branch
Presidential Systems
A system where citizens vote for legislative representatives and executive branch leaders
Parliamentary Sovereign
A principle closely related to a parliamentary system (democracy) that governs the decision making process.
(Theoretically) What does the legislature do?
(1) Makes the laws
(2) Controls finances
(3) appoints and dismisses the prime minister and the cabinet
(4) Debates public issues
(Realistically) What does the legislature do?
Strong party discipline within the legislature develops over time – the cabinet initiates legislation and makes policy; no separation of power exists because the power-holders are all leaders of the legislative branch.