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U.S Government > Foundations of Government > Flashcards

Foundations of Government Flashcards

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1
Q

What is made of the formal institution and processes through which are made for a group of people?

A

Government

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2
Q

Government consists of three main components_____, ______, and ______

A

People
Power
and Policies

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3
Q

Government consists of two types of people

A

Elected officials who have authority and control over others and Public servants who carry out day to day business

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4
Q

______ refers to the government’s authority and ability to get things done.

A

Power

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5
Q

Legislative power

A

Makes laws

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6
Q

Executive power

A

Carries out, enforces, and administers the law.

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7
Q

Judicial Power

A

To interpret the laws and to settle disputes between members of society.

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8
Q

__________ Is any decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal.

A

Policy

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9
Q

Policy can take form of

A

A law, a government program, or set of government actions.

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10
Q

_______ is a political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a clearly defined territory.

A

A state

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11
Q

All states are characterized as having four traits

A
  1. population
  2. Territory
  3. Government
  4. Sovereignty
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12
Q

You must have _____ to have a state, but _____ does not determine whether or not a place is a state.

A

People, Size

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13
Q

States must have ______ and ______

A

Clearly defined and recognized borders

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14
Q

The _________ is the world’s chief body for international cooperation

A

United Nations

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15
Q

All States are_______

A

Politically Organized

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16
Q

All states are said to have ______ or the supreme power to act within its territory and control its external affairs.

A

Sovereignty

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17
Q

Sovereignty includes

A

independence from other states as well as the freedom to establish a form of government.

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18
Q

How does a state limit the sovereign power of their governments?

A

Constitution!

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19
Q

Our government serves five functions

A
  1. Maintain order
  2. Ensure National Security
  3. Resolve Conflict
    4 Provide Services
  4. Provide for the public good
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20
Q

______ is a process by which government makes and carries out decisions.

A

Politics

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21
Q

Politics is also about ______ and ______

A

debating issues and policies

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22
Q

What are the three main theories of rule?

A
  1. Divine Right
  2. Natural Law and Natural Right
  3. The Social Contract
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23
Q

The idea of ______ is based on a system of rules derived from the natural world.

A

Natural Law

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24
Q

The _________ holds that the first governments formed as a result of people agreeing among themselves to submit to authority of a state

A

Social Contract theory

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25
Q

_______ believed that in order to protect national rights from government interference government power had to be limited, or subject to certain restrictions.

A

Locke

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26
Q

According to ________, humans lived independent lives in the state of nature, but they were happy good, and free

A

Rousseau

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27
Q

Monarchy is usually ruled by

A

A king or Queen who belongs to a royal family

28
Q

In a monarchy power is often

A

Inherited

29
Q

Absolute monarchs have ______ power

A

Unlimited

30
Q

Constitutional Monarchy the power of the monarch is

A

limited by law; the real power lies in another branch of government.

31
Q

________ is any form of government in which a single individual-an autocrat- controls most governing decisions.

A

Autocracy

32
Q

In a Dictatorship ______ and ______ is used to maintain rule.

A

Violence and force

33
Q

At its most extreme, the authoritarianism of a dictatorship becomes______

A

Totalitarianism

34
Q

In totalitarian regimes

A
  • Dictator holds ultimate authority.
  • Government tightly controls all aspects of life- Political, social, and economic.
  • No formal of informal limits on government.
35
Q

In a Oligarchy\ Aristocracy

A
  • Small group of people make most government decisions for their own benefit.
  • Membership in the ruling group may be based on wealth, family, or military power.
36
Q

Many Dictatorships are __________ governments, meaning that their laws and political institutions are independent of religion

A

Secular

37
Q

In a theocracy

A
  • Rulers claim to represent and be directed by a set of religious ideas.
  • Laws are rooted in a particular religion or religious doctrine.
  • Government power is unlimited
38
Q

The term democracy means

A

“rule by the people”

39
Q

Direct Democracy works best in

A

small communities, where people are able to meet face to face.

40
Q

Representative Democracy is

A

an indirect form of democracy; citizens elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf.
And representatives are elected for set terms.

41
Q

Most national governments consist of a number of smaller administrative unit:

A

States, cities, provinces

42
Q

In a unitary system, sovereignty, or ultimate authority, rests in a________

A

single, national government.

43
Q

A Federal system of government divides

A

power over people and territory between a national government and smaller, regional levels of governments.

44
Q

The U.S. Federal system consists of two levels:

A
  1. An overarching national government.

2. 50 state governments.

45
Q

A significant feature of American federalism is that

A

each level has the power to act independently of the other level.

46
Q

Many of the world’s governments are modeled after

A

the presidential system of the United States.

47
Q

A ________system is distinguished by having a president that is elected by the people for a limited term of office.

A

presidential

48
Q

A presidential system is distinguished by having a ______ that is elected by the people for a limited term of office.

A

President

49
Q

A key feature and strength of a presidential system is that the president’s powers are balanced by a _______, which is both popularly elected and independent of the president

A

Legislature

50
Q

In the US, the president may be commander in chief of the armed forces, but only_______ can declare war.

A

Congress

51
Q

In a ________ system the executive branch and legislative branches of government are combined.

A

Parliamentary

52
Q

In place of a popularly elected president, parliamentary systems have a ___________

A

Prime minister

53
Q

An elected legislature, called______, chooses the prime minister.

A

Parliament

54
Q

The prime minister is not only a member of parliament, but he\she also is the

A

Leader of parliament’s majority party

55
Q

Once selected, the prime minister appoints cabinet member from the ranks of the__________

A

Majority party

56
Q

Should the prime minister ever lose support of the majority party through a ______________, he\she must resign immediately, as do the cabinet members.

A

A Vote of no confidence

57
Q

A ___________ is a statement or vote which states that a person in a superior position-be it government, managerial, etc-is no longer deemed fit to hold that position.

A

Vote of no confidence

58
Q

________ also refers to a person’s freedom to exercise the rights guaranteed to all U.S. citizens under the constitution.

A

Liberty

59
Q

_______ is the principle that all people possess a fundamental, moral worth that entitles them to fair treatment under the law and equal opportunity in all aspects of life-political, social , and economics

A

Equality

60
Q

Americans have held fast to the ideal of ____-______, or the belief people could aspire to rule themselves and do as political equals

A

Self-government

61
Q

The key to self- government is that

A

people are the ultimate source of government authority

62
Q

A basic principle of democracy is that decisions are made by the __________.

A

Majority rule

63
Q

The_______ does and can become the majority!

A

Minority

64
Q

______ ______ are the political rights held by groups who make up less than half of the population.

A

Minority rights

65
Q

Another key principle of American democracy is _________, the ability of two opposing groups to give up some of their demands and come to an agreement.

A

Compromise

66
Q

______ _______ allows for people and business to make their own economic choices about how to best produce, distribute, exchange goods and services with limited interference from government.

A

Free enterprise

U.S Government (7 decks)

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