Key terms

Question 1

What is legitimacy?

Answer 1

the rightful use of power

Question 2

What are think tanks?

Answer 2

A body of experts brought together to collectively focus on a certain topic/issue

Question 3

What is suffrage/franchise?

Answer 3

The ability/right to vote

Question 4

What are lobbyists?

Answer 4

Are paid by clients to try and influence the government and/or MPs and members of the house of lords to act in their clients interests?

Question 5

What is a constitution?

Answer 5

A set of rules determining where sovereignty lies in a political system

Question 6

What are treaties?

Answer 6

Formal agreements with other countries, usually ratified by parliament

Question 7

What is a manifesto?

Answer 7

In a manifesto, a political party will spell out what actions and programmes they would introduce if they were to be elected

Question 8

What is a mandate?

Answer 8

The successful party following an election claims it has authority to implement its manifesto

Question 9

What is class dealignment?

Answer 9

Class dealignment is a process in which members of a social class no longer vote for the party that their class is aligned with.

Question 10

What is partisan dealignment?

Answer 10

Where individuals no longer identify themselves on a long-term basis by being associated with a political party

Question 11

What is pluralist democracy?

Answer 11

a system of government decisions as a result of listening and responding to a wide range of competing groups and organisations

Question 12

What is direct democracy?

Answer 12

All individuals express their opinions themselves and not having someone representing them

Question 13

What is representative democracy?

Answer 13

When an individual selects a person/party to act on their behalf

Question 14

What is the social contract theory?

Answer 14

The relationship between individuals and those in power have a contract where we give consent to those in power to have the power

Question 15

What does coercion mean?

Answer 15

Use of force

Question 16

What is the Westminster model?

Answer 16

Where there is a fusion between the executive and the legislature

Question 17

What does democracy mean?

Answer 17

people power

Question 18

What is a coalition government?

Answer 18

More than one party running the country

Question 19

What is minority government?

Answer 19

No majority seats of one party in the house of commons

Question 20

What is mandate?

Answer 20

legitimacy

Question 21

What is first-past-the-post?

Answer 21

An electoral system where the person with the most votes is elected

Question 22

What is clicktivism?

Answer 22

refers to the use of social media and other online methods to promote a cause simply by clicking on an endorsement

Question 23

what is democratic deficit?

Answer 23

a flaw in the democratic process where decisions are taken by people who lack legitimacy, not having ben appointed with sufficient democratic input

Question 24

what is the executive?

Answer 24

the collective group of Prime Minister, Cabinet and junior ministers. also known as the government

Question 25

What is secondary legislation?

Answer 25

Powers given to the executive by parliament to make changes to the law within certain specific rules

Question 26

What is government department?

Answer 26

A part of executive, usually with specific responsibility over an area such as education

Question 27

What is individual responsibility?

Answer 27

When ministers are responsible for their personal conduct and their departments

Question 28

What is collective responsibility?

Answer 28

when ministers must support cabinet decisions or leave the executive

Question 29

What is one nation?

Answer 29

Paternalistic conservatism that was adopted by Benjamin Disraeli in which the rich have an obligation to the poor

Question 30

What is modern liberalism?

Answer 30

An idea that reflects a reaction against free market capitalism, believing it to leave too many individuals not being genuinely free