Government Defined Flashcards
have authority and control over others
Elected officials
Governments consist of three main components:
Peoples, Power, Policies
interpret the laws and settle disputes between members of society
Judicial
carry out, enforce, and administer the law
Executive
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
Policy
power to make laws
Legislative
carry out the day-to-day business of government
Public servants
made up of the formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made for a group of people
Government
a political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a clearly defined territory
state
all states are characterized as having 4 traits
population, territory, government, and sovereignty
Our government serves 5 functions:
Provide for public good, ensure national security, resolve conflict, provide services, and maintain order
How does a state limit the sovereign power of the government?
The constiution
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
sovereignty
the world’s chief body of international cooperation
UN
there are three main theories of rule:
divine right, natural law and natural rights, and the social contract
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
natural law
Holds that the first government formed as a result of people agreeing among themselves to submit authority of a state
Social contract theory
any form of government in which a single individual controls most governing decisions
autocracy
Ruled by a monarch, usually a king or a queen, who belongs to a royal family
Power is inherited
Absolute monarchs have unlimited power
Monarchy
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
constitutional monarchy
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
Ogliarchy/ aristocracy
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
Theocracy
Rule by the people
democracy
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
direct democracy
Indirect form of democracy; citizens elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf
Representatives elected for set terms
representative democracy
sovereignty, or ultimate authority, rests in a single, national government
unitary system
divides power over people and territory between a national government and smaller, regional levels of governments
federal system
The US federal system consists of two levels of governments
an overarching national government and 50 state governments
What does democracy mean?
Rule by the people
distinguished by having a president that is elected by the people for a limited term of office
Presidential system
Who can only declare war in a presidential system?
Congress
the executive branch and legislative branches of government are combined
Parliamentary system
An elected legislature called ___ elects the prime minister
parliament
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
Vote of no confidence
also refers to a person’s freedom to exercise the rights guaranteed to all U.S. citizens under the Constitution
Liberty
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
Equality
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
self-government
A basic principle of democracy is that decisions are made by ______
majority rule
The ____ does and can become the majority! _____rights are the political rights held by groups who make up less than half of the population
minority
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
Compromise
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
Free enterprise
