Module 8: State, Power, and Social Movements Flashcards
politics
ability of people, or groups, to gain access to government and use its power to influence society
nation-state
human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of violence within a given territory - MAX WEBER
democratic state
people can directly vote for their representatives and, in some cases, can even vote on specific rules or policies
lobbying
democratic societies also permit citizens to contact elected leaders to argue for what they want
activists
believe that states aren’t listening to them and that “normal” forms of influence are inadequate or illegitimate
social (or protest) movement
groups of people organized for social change and who act in contentious ways
revolutionary social movements
challenge the state so effectively that the state collapses
states
the “ultimate authority” within some geographical territory
taxation
using the force of government to collect funds that are used to pay for services like the police, schools, and healthcare
welfare states
a country in which a large part of its budget is spent on social services, such as retirement benefits and healthcare
policy
rules of behavior that the state creates, like laws, as well as the services that governments provide for people
axis of politics
the way states are made, acquire power, and use power to further their goals by creating and enforcing policy
city states
governments that control a single city and the surrounding area
representative democracy
people influence the state and its policies by voting for representatives, who then decide which policies to approve
direct democracies
people can directly vote on government policies
referendum
eligible voters get to say “yes” or “no” on a specific proposed law
competitive democracies
where people have a genuine option to vote for alternative candidates
aristocracy
kings and queens who inherit their kingdoms
formal policies
those written into law
political parties
common feature of democratic states
informal policy
not written into law, but still common to follow (Republicans vs Democrats)
median voter model
says that democratic governments tend to offer policies that reflect the voter who is exactly in the middle (the median) of voter preferences
salience
amount that people care about an issue
elite theory
some individuals or groups have high social status, and the government listens to these people more than others - for example, a number of researchers have claimed that policies are more likely to be adopted by the state if wealthy, college-educated people support the policy
pluralism
policy is determined by a very specific constellation of groups organized around a specific issue
electoral college system
system in which presidential votes are tallied at the state level, rather than from a simple national count of all votes
suffrage
the right to vote in political elections
electorate
the group of people allowed to vote
universal suffrage
most adults eligible to vote, including most current prisoners and all former prisoners
Reconstruction
the period after the Civil War when the federal government re-integrated the Southern states into the Union
poll tax
states charged a fee for voting
literacy test
test of reading ability administered to determine who was allowed to vote
grandfather clause
laws passed in Southern states restricting voting to only those individuals whose grandfathers could vote
black codes
laws that barred African Americans from holding certain jobs
Civil Rights Movement
social movement aimed at increasing civil and political rights and protections for African Americans
Voting Rights Act of 1965
prohibited states from passing laws that discriminated against Black voters
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
the Court held that having separate schools for African American students was inherently damaging and that schools must be desegregated
liberal
these voters think governments should collect a lot of taxes so they can support social programs like education, state-subsidized health care, and retirement benefits for older people
social conservatives
voters want the state to affirm religious values and what they see as traditional social roles
ideologies
systems of ideas
liberal states
democratic governments that have less regulated markets and provide lower levels of social services, more permissive in economic affairs
corporatist states
various factions—such as business owners and labor leaders—are part of state entities that determine social policy, allowed to actively negotiate policy
social democratic states
have relatively high taxes that are used to pay for generous social service
feminist movement
tries to improve the status of women and reduce discrimination
serfdom
the practice in which peasants were tied to specific estates and served the landowning nobility; this allowed millions of people to become full participants in society
biases
tendencies to be prejudiced for or against something
positive sociology
attempts to be fact-based and as objective as possible
normative analysis
trying to judge what is good or bad
institutional politics
the process by which people assert influence in official and sanctioned ways (voting, giving money to a political party, and registering as a lobbyist to contact politicians)
contentious politics
groups work outside the system and challenge the very legitimacy of some government policy or social behavior
social movements
groups thet want more fundamental change and are willing to be disruptive to get it
grassroots
people can set up a chapter of the movement in their town and don’t need permission from the leadership to do it
social movement sector
the individuals and organizations that spend their time organizing protests, challenging authority, and changing public opinion
social movement outcomes
What is the effect of the movement on the individual who participates?
What factors contribute to movement success or failure?
authoritarianism
style of government that relies on obedience to leaders
Nationalism
belief that governments should put national interests first by closing borders and waging trade wars, still attracts follower
political sociology
tries to understand government and power from the sociological perspective
How do people influence and interact with states?
How do states make laws and policies?
Left movements
often ally themselves with lower-status groups (e.g., ethnic minorities or women) and seek social and legal equality
Right movements
tend to ally themselves with higher-status groups and push for things to stay as they are
