Government and states Flashcards
What is a Government
Government is the group of people and agencies entrusted with making and carrying out laws and policies agreed upon by the larger population.
What are the three types of powers in the government and what are they
Every government has three kinds of power. Legislative power is the power to make laws. Executive power is the power to carry out laws. Judicial power is the power to settle arguments and decide on the meaning of laws.
What is the government
Many countries outline these powers in a constitution. If the responsibility to carry out governmental power is in the hands of one person or a small group of people, the country is a dictatorship. In a democracy, the people hold the power. The process by which a society decides how government is run and how the leaders are chosen is called politics. Politics is the way that a society decides who will benefit from, and who will pay for, its public policies.
Review
The second classification is defined by where government power is held. In a unitary government, a single, central agency holds all governmental powers. In a federal government, a central government and several local governments share governmental powers in a division of powers. Because the Constitution divides power between the National Government and the States, the United States is a federal government. A federal system is different from a confederation, which is an alliance of independent states.
The third type of classification describes the relationship between the legislative and the executive branches of government. A presidential government divides power between the branches, while a parliamentary government focuses power on the legislative branch. In the latter, the executive branch is chosen by and subject to the legislative branch A dictatorship may be totalitarian, meaning that the rulers control nearly every aspect of human affairs. It may also be an autocracy—in which one person holds unlimited political power—or an oligarchy—in which a small elite holds the power to rule.
What is the most important feature in a democracy?
People have the power. Government is conducted by and for the people.
What is representative democracy?
A small group of people are chosen by election to represent a larger group.
Also called indirect democracy.
What is direct democracy?
The people themselves create laws and policies.
Also called pure democracy.
Works on a local level and in small countries.
What is indirect democracy?
Representative democracy.
Widely used on state, local, and national level.
What is a dictatorship?
A form of government where the people who rule have complete authority over the people ruled. No limit to the time they rule.
What is an autocracy?
A single person holds power.
What is an oligarchy?
Government in which small groups of people hold power. May be self appointed or chosen by a directory.
What are the 3 basic forms of geographical government?
Federal, confederate, and unitary
Describe Federal government
The national and state governments are equal partners
Describe Confederate government
Most power belongs to local/regional governments. The central has limited power.
Describe unitary government.
Power resides in the central government. Local government is secondary.
