Forms of Goverment Unit 2 Flashcards
Government
The legitimate use of force within specified boundaries to control human behavior.
Public policies
Decisions made by government institutions and individuals that exercise political authority.
Police power
The authority of government to maintain order and safeguard citizens’ well-being.
Order (narrow sense)
Establishing the rule of law to preserve life and protect property.
Order (broader sense)
Maintaining traditional patterns of social relationships and behavior.
Freedom of
The absence of constraints on behavior; synonymous with liberty.
Political equality
One vote per person, with all votes counted equally.
Social equality
Equality in wealth, education, and status.
Equality of opportunity
The idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life.
Equality of outcome
The concept that society must ensure economic and social equality.
Democracy
A system of government in which the people rule, either directly or indirectly.
Direct democracy
A system of government where citizens rule themselves without representatives.
Indirect democracy
A system of government where citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf.
Representative democracy
form of government where the people elect representatives to carry out the work of government.
Republic
A form of government where the people elect representatives to carry out the work of government.( no rulers)
Monarch
A sovereign head of state, such as a king, queen, or emperor.
Constitution
A body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and powers of a government.
Constitutional monarchy
A state in which a monarch’s power is limited by a constitution.
Parliamentary democracy
A government ruled democratically by a national representative body with supreme legislative powers.
Popular sovereignty
Government receives its power from the people; government by consent of the governed.
Consent of the governed
The idea that government derives its authority by permission of the people.
Autocracy
A system of government in which the power to govern is concentrated in the hands of one individual.
Absolutism
A political system in which a monarch or group holds supreme, unlimited power.
Absolute monarch
A ruler who has complete authority in government and over the lives of the people.