Government Basics Vocab Flashcards
An institution that makes and enforces laws and public policies
government
the process by which a government or any institution works
politics
any organization that has people, place, and purpose
institution
structure within a society that links the people to the government
Ex: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
linkage institution
Rule by the people
democracy
more of a societal term that means government/rule by the best (richest and most influential) who didn’t have former political power
aristocracy
a single person (like a king or queen) serves as the head of state, often inheriting the position and ruling for life or until abdication
monarchy
Rule by God or God’s representatives
Theorcracy
Rule by representatives of the people
republic
Rule by a small group of elites who retain all political authority
Oligarchy
agreement between individuals and their government, where u surrender certain freedoms in exchange for protection and societal benefits.
social contract
Rule by one person (not referring specifically to kings and queens)
Like a dictatorship or absolute monarchy
autocracy
all governing power is in a single, central authority local governments have limited self-government (operate under the central government’s orders)
Unitarian
a union of independent states or groups that come together for a common purpose while retaining their individual sovereignty and autonomy, with power primarily residing in the member states rather than a central authority.
confederacy
a system of government where several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs.
federal
an autocratic form of government where you’re ruled by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no limitations.
Dictatorship
a society that is ruled or controlled by people of great wealth or income
plutocracy
inclination to be open to ideas and ways of behaving that are not conventional or traditional.
liberalism
inclination to preserve what is already established
conservatism
Destroying the existing system and replacing it with something new (revolution not evolution, bringing order to the galaxy)
Radicalism
A desire to return to old ways (Hitler, Yoda, Joseph Smith)
Reactionary
Government should have total control of all aspects of life (speech, marriage, child-bearing, education, religion, thought, and expression)
In a lot of distopian books/movies
totalitarianism
It says the government should have less control over the lives of its citizens and should let them be responsible for themselves without the involvement of the government.
Libertarianism
believes that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree
Statism
Absence of the government
people rule themselves and are responsible for their own defense and survival (zombie apocalypse)
anarchism
Extreme conservatism and statism
usually characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, prioritizes state/national interests over individual interests.
Fascism
