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U.S. Government > Government Defined : 8/10/15 > Flashcards

Government Defined : 8/10/15 Flashcards

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1
Q

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

A

Government

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2
Q

Governments consist of three main components: ______, ______, and ______.

A

People, powers, and policies.

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3
Q

Government includes two types of people: 1. ______ ________ who have authority and control over others. 2. _______ ________ who carry out the day-to-day business of government.

A

Elected officials, public servant

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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

The people in government exercise three basic types of power: 1. _________ power- power to make laws. 2. _________ power- to carry out, enforce, and administer the law. 3. _______ power- to interpret the laws and to settle disputes between members of society.

A

Legislative, executive, judicial

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6
Q

_______ is any decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal.

A

Policy

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7
Q

A ______ can take the form of a ___, a ___________ ______, or a set of ________ _____.

A

Policy, law, government program, government actions

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8
Q

A _______ is 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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9
Q

All states are characterized as having four traits: P______, t_______, g_______, and s________.

A

Population, territory, government, sovereignty

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10
Q

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

A

People, size

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11
Q

_____, has fewer than ______ people and is one of the world’s smallest states.

A

Tuvalu, 12,000

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12
Q

____ _______ in ____ has _ _____ people.

A

Henan Province, China, 1 billion

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13
Q

States must have clearly defined and recognized ______.

A

Borders

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14
Q

The ______ _______ is the world’s chief body for _________ _________.

A

United Nations, international cooperation

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15
Q

All states are ________ ______.

A

Politically organized

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16
Q

Every state is said to have _______ or the supreme power to act within its territory and to control its external affairs.

A

Sovereignty

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17
Q

_________ includes ____________ from other states as well as the _______ to establish a form of government.

A

Sovereignty, independence, freedom

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18
Q

Most states ____ the ________ power of their governments with a set of rules that restricts the lawful use of _____.

A

Limit, sovereign, power

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19
Q

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

A

Constitution

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20
Q

Our government serves five functions: 1. E_____ N____ S____ 2. M______ O_____ 3. R_____ C_____ 4. P______ S_____ 5. P______ for the P____ G____

A
  1. Ensure National Security 2. Maintain Order 3. Resolve Conflict 4. Provide Services 5. Provide for the Public Good
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21
Q

______ is a process by which government makes and carries out decisions– is also about debating issues and policies.

A

Politics

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22
Q

Another name for the _______ _____ is the ____ ____– the needs and interest of the people as a whole.

A

General welfare, public good

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23
Q

There are three main theories of rule: D_____ r_____, n____ l__ and n_____ r____, and the s____ c______.

A

Divine right, natural law and natural rights, social contract

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24
Q

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

A

Natural law

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25
Q

______ ___ is said to provide a just and rational order to all things in the world including _____ ______.

A

Natural law, human behavior

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26
Q

All people, by virtue of their being human, possess _____ ______.

A

Natural rights

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27
Q

The ______ _____ theory holds that the first governments formed as a result of people agreeing among themselves to submit to the authority of a state. Under this theory, a government is legitimate only so long as the parties to the agreement hand over their _____ to the state.

A

Social Contract, power

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28
Q

Because of the state of nature is so _____, _____ reasons, humans decide to cooperate.

A

Violent, Hobbes

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29
Q

_____ believed that in order to protect _____ ____ from government interference government ______ had to be limited, or subject to certain restrictions.

A

Locke, natural rights, power

30
Q

According to _______, humans lived _________ lives in the state of nature, but they were happy, good, and free.

A

Rousseau, independent

31
Q

_________ : 1. Ruled by a ______, usually a king or queen, who belongs to a royal family. 2. Power is _______. 3. Absolute monarchs have ________ _____.

A

Monarchy, monarch, inherited, unlimited power

32
Q

___________ ________ : 1. Based on the idea that there are _____ to the rightful _____ of a _______ over its ______. 2. Power of the monarch is limited by ___; the real power lies in another branch of ___________. 3. May ______ with other forms of government such as a ______________ _________. Prime minister has authority.

A

Constitutional monarchy, limits, power, government, citizens, law, government, coexist, representative democracy

33
Q

______ is an example of _______, any form of government in which a single individual– an ________– controls most governing decisions.

A

Monarchy, autocracy, autocrat

34
Q

__________ : 1. Single ______ or a ______ _____ holds absolute ________ and makes all decisions. 2. ______ and _____ used to maintain rule. 3. At its most extreme, the ______________ of a _________ becomes ___________.

A

Dictatorship, dictator, small group, authority, violence, force, authoritarianism, dictatorship, totalitarianism

35
Q

___________ ______ : 1. ______ holds ultimate ______. 2. _________ tightly controls all aspects of life– ______, ______, and ______. 3. No formal or informal ____ on ________.

A

Totalitarian regimes, dictator, authority, government, political, social, economic, limits, government

36
Q

_______/_______ : 1. ______ _____ of people make most government decisions for their own _______. 2. __________ in the ruling group may be based on ______, ______, or ______ _____.

A

Oligarchy/aristocracy, small group, benefit, membership, wealth, family, military power

37
Q

Many ____________ are _______ _________, meaning that their laws and political institutions are independent of religion.

A

Dictatorships, secular governments

38
Q

_________ : 1. Rulers claim to represent and be directed by a set of religious ideas. 2. Laws are rooted in a particular _______ or ________ _____. 3. Government power is _______.

A

Theocracy, religion, religious doctrine, unlimited

39
Q

The term democracy means “___ __ __ _____.”

A

Rule by the people

40
Q

______ _______ : 1. Government by the ______; citizens are the ultimate source of government authority. 2. Citizens come together to discuss and pass laws and select leaders. 3. Works best in _____ _______.

A

Direct democracy, people, small communities

41
Q

_____ _______ works best in small communities, where people are able to meet face to face.

A

Direct democracy

42
Q

____________ _________ : 1. ______ form of democracy; citizens elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf. 2. Representatives elected for set terms.

A

Representative democracy, indirect

43
Q

Most n_______ g___________ consist of a number of smaller a__________ units : _____, _____, _______.

A

National governments, administrative, states, cities, provinces

44
Q

In a ______ _____, ________, or ultimate authority, rests in a single, ______ government.

A

Unitary system, sovereignty, national

45
Q

In ______ ______, local levels of government may be active and important agencies of rule, but the ______ government has ultimate authority.

A

Unitary systems, national

46
Q

A _____ _____ of government divides power over people and territory between a national government and smaller, regional level of governments.

A

Federal system

47
Q

The _____ ______ today is largely an American invention that attempts to balance national power and states’ rights which is better known as _______.

A

Federal system, federalism

48
Q

The U.S. ______ _____ consists of two levels : 1. An o_______ n______ government. 2. __ _____ governments.

A

Federal system, overarching national, 50 state

49
Q

A significant feature of ________ ______ is that each level has the power to act ___________ of the other level.

A

American federalism, independently

50
Q

Many of the world’s governments are modeled after the ____________ ______ of the United States.

A

Presidential system

51
Q

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

A

Presidential system

52
Q

The _________ is in charge of the _________ branch of government.

A

President, executive

53
Q

A key feature and strength of a ___________ ______ is that the president’s powers are balanced by a ________, which is both popularly elected and independent of the president.

A

Presidential system, legislature

54
Q

In the US, the ________ may be ______ __ ____ of the armed forces, but only _______ can declare war.

A

President, commander in chief, Congress

55
Q

In a _____________ ______ the ________ branch and ________ branches of government are combined.

A

Parliamentary system, executive, legislative

56
Q

In place of a popularly elected president, parliamentary systems have a ______ ______.

A

Prime minister

57
Q

An elected legislature, called ______, chooses the prime minister.

A

Parliament

58
Q

The _____ _______ is not only a member of parliament, but he/she is also the leader of parliament’s _______ _____.

A

Prime minister, majority party

59
Q

Once selected, the prime minister appoints ______ ______ from the ranks of the majority party.

A

Cabinet member

60
Q

Should the prime minister ever lost support of the majority party through a ____ of __ _________ , he/she must resign immediately, as do the cabinet members.

A

Vote of no confidence

61
Q

_____ of __ _______– 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

62
Q

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

A

Liberty

63
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 in life– political, social, and economics.

A

Equality

64
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

65
Q

A key to ___-________ is that people are the ultimate source of government authority.

A

Self-government

66
Q

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

A

Majority rule

67
Q

The ______ does and can become the majority!

A

Minority

68
Q

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

A

Minority rights

69
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

70
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 the government.

A

Free enterprise

U.S. Government (6 decks)

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