Lecture One Key terms Flashcards
Autocracy
Power and authority of government is in the hands of a single person
Bicameral Legislature
Two house legislature
Conservatism
Want government to regulate social order
(EX. pro-police/pro-military, regulation of social values, regulation of obscenity)
Democracy
A system of government in which people have ultimate political authority
Dictatorship
Absolute power is exercised by a singular person who usually obtain power through the use of force
Direct Democracy
A small group of citizens meet to make political decisions
Divine Right Theory
King or Queen’s rights to rule come directly from God rather than through consent (approval) of people
Ideology
Organized set of values about human nature, social inequality, and government institutions that form the basis of a political or economic system
Liberalism
Believes in such things as guaranteed civil liberties, political equality, separation of church and state, free political competition. Government should act to solve domestic problems, have social welfare programs to help the poor and disadvantage, protect the rights of individuals against the majority.
Liberty
Freedom of individuals to believe, act, and express themselves (without harming the rights of others)
Limited Government
Form of government based on the principle that the powers of government should be clearly limited either through a written document or through wide public understanding
Monarchy
King, Queen, Emperor, ect. is the highest power in government
Natural Rights
Rights which are not given out by government but are within every individual because of their existence as a human being
Political Culture
Set of shared political beliefs, values, and ways of thinking about government and politics
Representative Democracy
Indirect democracy in which people rule through elected representatives
