Midterm #1 chp 1-6 Flashcards
Politics
Politics is derived from the word “city state, politics refers to how groups of people in a society compete and collaborate to achieve interests and make decisions. Competition and collaboration are the two components of politics, we look for solutions to the problem, but it might not be everyone’s choice, so we compromise. Ex: pipelines, some want, some don’t so we compromised with one.
Government
Government is the specialized activity of individuals and institutions that make and enforce public decisions that are binding upon the whole community. A system of social control under which the right to make and enforce laws is vested in a particular group. Government is different than politics which can occur anywhere in society and among any individual or group. Government is the formal institutions that make decisions on behalf of a state. Government is important to politics because it is the process through which competing interests are resolved and collective decisions are made in society
Define “Coalition” and explain the 3 types
Coalition is defined as: the joining of forces by 2 or more parties during a conflict of interest with other parties. Cooperation takes place in order to gain advantage over an external opponent.
Type 1 “personal relationships”
- in small scale settings coalitions are based on personal relationships among individuals ex: Obama and Trudeau had a coalition and were able to sit down and talk about decisions where as Trudeau and Trump don’t have a coalition.
Type 2 “Formal Alliance”
- two or more institutions or organizations joining forces Example: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (stable example) Example: In BC Green party & NDP formed a coalition govt
Type 3 “Informal/mass politics”
- Building of coalitions happens in mass politics of modern democracies. Large groups of society that combine together, without formal agreement. Example: In the states white southerners, and roman catholics pledge allegiance to the Republican Party and make it known that is whom they form a “coalition” with, but there is no formal agreement, it’s just what they do.
define Power and explain the 3 broad categories
Power is the ability to achieve your interests. Power is relational to other people or actors and is the ability to make others do things they would not otherwise do. There are three types of power. Coercion involves the threat or use of force, either physical or otherwise, and the actor fears the repercussions of not complying. Influence, involves persuading or convincing people that an action is in their interest, so they comply voluntarily. Finally, authority occurs when people obey a command because they find it legitimate and feel obligated to comply. Power is important to politics because who has power determines how competing interests are resolved and collective decisions are made.
Explain the 3 subcategories of authority:
Traditional Authority
- Inherited positions ex: monarchies “it has always been done that way”
ex; crown clip saw in class, countries where traditional authority exists (Saudi Arabia)
Charismatic Authority
- A leader has authority based upon their extraordinary personal qualities (likeable, attractive, command a room) ex: Pierre Trudeau
Legal Authority
- Have authority because it exists in a position, organization or law. Often referred to as a rule of law.
Constitution or bill of rights that serve to limit or restrain power of gov’t.
Explain Sovereignty
Latin for “superior”
- a power that can override all other authority (absolute and perpetual) We view people who are superior with elevation and we lower ourselves to recognize authority (Monarchy ex:bow before the king/queen)
Explain the three types of sovereignty
1) Personal Sovereignty
- One person holding the absolute power ex: Monarch or Emperor
they have traditional form of authority (hereditary) “I am the state” - Louis XIV
2)Parliamentary Sovereignty
- small group of leaders
- elected lawmakers are the ultimate authority
- still bound/constrained by constitution
(Canada has personal and parliamentary sovereignty to ensure not one institution has all the power)
3) Popular Sovereignty
- supreme or ultimate authority rests in the people themselves
- constrained by society (conformity)
- hard to enforce
- gov’t authority is fragmented we often see all 3 types of sovereignty
State
You need population, territory and sovereignty to be considered a state. A state exists when sovereign power effectively rules over a population residing within the boundaries of a fixed territory.
Nation
A nation is an identity shared by a group of people based on one or more common factors such as race, languages, religion, culture, customs. Gov’t emerged in Europe during the French Revolution a nation can become a political force ex: french revolution
- a nation and state are closely associated but not the same thing a nation is just a group of people that share some commonality, but a state has government.
define ethnic nation
An identity shared by a group of people, the identity centres upon heritage, language, race or religion ex: Chinese, Argentinian
define civic nation
: A nation is an identity shared by a group of people based on one or more common factors, such as race, language or religion. A civic nation is one whose shared identity is developed around public institutions and government. In multicultural countries, with different ethnic backgrounds, acceptance of these institutions binds people together. For example, in the U.S. students swear allegiance to the flag and citizens revere the Constitution. Civic nations are important because they represent a more recent form of nation that is different from those based on ethnicity.
Citizenship
How do you know who is part of a state’s membership? Citizenship comes with certain rights regarding aspects such as 1) entering, exiting and living in the country 2) personal freedoms 3) voting and standing for election. having citizenship in a particular state comes with rights and also responsibilities ex: paying taxes, military service etc.
jus soli- (right of soil) anyone born within the borders of the state can become a citizen
jus sanguinis- (right of blood) only the children of citizens can acquire citizenship by birth ex: germany
naturalization- an adult becoming a citizen after living in the country for a specific period of time
ethnic groups in canada: Francophones, Indigenous people, Immigrants
Francophones- 13.6% of canadian population reported french ancestry
Quebecois are located in Quebec, but french speakers are also concentrated in places like manitoba and new brunswick
Indigenous peoples- 6.2% of the total canadian population
rights recognized under section 35 of the canadian constitution, over 600 recognized first nation governments and bands
Immigrants- individuals coming to and living in canada, may have previous established national identity. Give up connection to previous country when they come to canada but many still have strong identification with culture, traditions etc
explain private vs public law
Private law
- governs relationships between individuals Ex: contracts, suing someone
Public law
- the legal rules that establish the relationship between people and the state ex: taxation laws ie: carbon tax
criminal laws like assault and murder are considered public law because its violence is considered a crime against humanity.
explain common law vs formal legislation
common law
- common law is the sum of a vast number of cases decided by english courts since the middle ages. develops slowly over time because it’s based on precidense or prior cases. Used in private law in 9 provinces in canada
formal legislation
- abstract and not applied to any particular case, more concrete and simple then common law. Used in Quebec (civil code) that goes back to Napoleon
