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Government > Government Defined > Flashcards

Government Defined Flashcards

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AP® U.S. Government flashcards American Government 101 flashcards U.S. Government Basics flashcards
1
Q

have authority and control over others

A

Elected officials

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2
Q

Governments consist of three main components:

A

Peoples, Power, Policies

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3
Q

interpret the laws and settle disputes between members of society

A

Judicial

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4
Q

carry out, enforce, and administer the law

A

Executive

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5
Q

decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal; can take the form of a law, a government program, or a set of government actions

A

Policy

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6
Q

power to make laws

A

Legislative

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7
Q

carry out the day-to-day business of government

A

Public servants

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8
Q

made up of the formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made for a group of people

A

Government

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9
Q

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

A

state

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10
Q

all states are characterized as having 4 traits

A

population, territory, government, and sovereignty

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11
Q

Our government serves 5 functions:

A

Provide for public good, ensure national security, resolve conflict, provide services, and maintain order

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12
Q

How does a state limit the sovereign power of the government?

A

The constiution

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13
Q

The supreme power to act within its territory and control its external affairs; includes independence other states as well as their freedom to establish a form of government

A

sovereignty

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14
Q

the world’s chief body of international cooperation

A

UN

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15
Q

there are three main theories of rule:

A

divine right, natural law and natural rights, and the social contract

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16
Q

based on a system of rules derived from the natural world; said to provide a just and rational order to all things in the world

A

natural law

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17
Q

Holds that the first government formed as a result of people agreeing among themselves to submit authority of a state

A

Social contract theory

18
Q

any form of government in which a single individual controls most governing decisions

A

autocracy

19
Q

Ruled by a monarch, usually a king or a queen, who belongs to a royal family
Power is inherited
Absolute monarchs have unlimited power

A

Monarchy

20
Q

Based on the idea that there are limits to the rightful power of a government over its citizens
Power of the monarch is limited by law; the real power lies in another branch of government
May coexist with other forms of government such as representative democracy

A

constitutional monarchy

21
Q

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

A

Ogliarchy/ aristocracy

22
Q

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

A

Theocracy

23
Q

Rule by the people

A

democracy

24
Q

Government by the people; citizens are the ultimate source of government authority
Citizens come together to discuss and pass laws and select leaders
Works best in small communities

A

direct democracy

25
Q

Indirect form of democracy; citizens elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf
Representatives elected for set terms

A

representative democracy

26
Q

sovereignty, or ultimate authority, rests in a single, national government

A

unitary system

27
Q

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

A

federal system

28
Q

The US federal system consists of two levels of governments

A

an overarching national government and 50 state governments

29
Q

What does democracy mean?

A

Rule by the people

30
Q

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

A

Presidential system

31
Q

Who can only declare war in a presidential system?

A

Congress

32
Q

the executive branch and legislative branches of government are combined

A

Parliamentary system

33
Q

An elected legislature called ___ elects the prime minister

A

parliament

34
Q

is a statement of 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

35
Q

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

A

Liberty

36
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

37
Q

Americans have held fast to the ideal of _____, or the belief that ordinary people could aspire to rule themselves and do so as political equals

A

self-government

38
Q

A basic principle of democracy is that decisions are made by ______

A

majority rule

39
Q

The ____ does and can become the majority! _____rights are the political rights held by groups who make up less than half of the population

A

minority

40
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

41
Q

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

A

Free enterprise

Government (6 decks)

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