ps100 Flashcards
Civil Liberties
Rights that allow citizens to evaluate how the government operates and to assess the character and performance of parties and political leaders
Direct Democracy
Form of democracy in which citizens vote directly on matters of public policy instead of electing representatives
Equality
Concept that emphasizes equal political and social rights or the condition of being neither superior nor inferior
Liberal Democracy
Constitutional government characterized by popular rule, protection of basic rights, and political and economic competition
Liberalism
Modern political ideology that favors government intervention in the interest of public welfare, social justice, and fair play
Liberty
Freedom from slavery, imprisonment, captivity, or any form of unlawful or arbitrary control; the sum of rights of a free individual or group
Pluralism
Political school maintaining that balance in diverse political communities is best achieved through a representative democracy acting in accord with policies that advance the general welfare, while still recognizing that a rough approximation of the public interest emerges from the clash of contending interests
Representative Government
Constitutional system in which government leadership is determined, directly or indirectly, by decisions of the electorate
Ideology
Belief system that society can be improved by following certain doctrines, usually ends in ism
What does it mean that ideology “provides a lay theory of justice”?
Non-experts can believe in an ideology, have an opinion on the matter of justice
Operative ideals of Liberal Democracy
Popular Government, Rights-Respecting Government, Representative Government, Responsible Government
Historical Sources of Liberal Democracy
Greek Democracy, Christian Theology, Medieval Europe, Protestant Reform, French and American Revolutions
Value underlying liberal democracy and capitalist economic systems
Freedom
What was one major change in the nature of American democracy when comparing
the 1800s and the 1900s?
Increase in government involvement in economic and social life
Liberals and conservatives generally disagree on…
Tradition vs Innovation, Equality vs Merit
Liberals and libertarians generally disagree on…
Equality vs Merit
Liberals and conservatives have in common…
Operative ideals of liberal democracy, government committed to the general good
Why is the need to balance security and liberty a central problem in liberal democracies?
State must choose how to protect freedom without sacrificing personal freedom, example is PATRIOT security surveillance after 9/11
Authoritarianism
Anti-Democratic political stance that favors placing political power in the hands of an elite group or a dictator
Bourgeoisie
For Marx, the social class composed of modern capitalists, owners of the means of social production, and employers of wage labor. In general, the middle class in a capitalist society
Democratic Socialism
Ideology committed to popular, constitutional rule and the protection of basic rights while maintaining that key aspects of economic life must be publicly owned, or socially controlled, to ensure an equitable distribution of the community’s wealth
Egalitarianism
Political goal that stresses a belief in human equality, especially as it relates to social, political, and economic rights and privileges; political thought that unites socialists and traditional communists
Proletariat
Class of modern wage laborers
Totalitarianism
Ideology that espouses the complete political, economic, and social control of people and institutions by a dictatorial, single-party regime
Welfare State
Society that provides social services to ensure better family life, health care, and housing; protection against unemployment; and security in old age
Interest Aggregation
Means of selecting priorities in which political actors build support for specific proposals, usually by working with other like-minded individuals or groups
Interest Group
Members of the public who organize in an attempt to shape public policy on issues of concern to them
National Interest
Vital needs and fundamental interests of nations, such as security, liberty, justice, and welfare, essential for independence, prosperity, and power
Policy
In the context of political science, a government course or general plan of action designed to solve problems or achieve specified goals
Political Culture
Individual or group that expresses and shapes public values, struggles for power, and decides issues of public policy.
Political Values
Important beliefs about which goals, principles, and policies are worthwhile in public affairs
Principle
Basic truth or belief that is used as a basis of reasoning or a guide to behavior
Bureaucracy
Governmental departments, ministries, agencies, and officials that carry out public policy, ideally in a rational, efficient, impartial, and stable manner
Judicial Review
The ability of the US Supreme Court to declare an act of Congress or a state legislature unconstitutional
Legislative Function
Formal responsibility of legislatures to make laws
Media
Agencies of communication such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and, more recently, the Internet
Failed State
A country in which there are serious questions (both on the part of the international community and many of its own citizens) about governmental legitimacy
Fascism
Authoritarian political ideology characterized by dictatorial leadership, an oppressive one-party system, strong nationalism, and aggressive militarism
Prime Minister
Executive in the British parliamentary system, elected by the House of Commons
Rule of Law
Idea of regularized and consistent laws that are not changed by the whim of leaders or by circumstances like anarchy
Citizenship
A member of a political community who enjoys the rights and assumes the duties of membership
Illiberal Democracy
Regimes that are elected but lack democratic qualities such as civil rights and limits on government
Regime
System of government in a territory
What is one value that is shared between liberal democracy and social democracy?
Popular rule, protection of basic rights
How might a supporter of liberal democracy criticize social democracy?
Too much government intervention economically
How might a supporter of social democracy criticize communism?
Communists go too far in regulating the economy
How does conservatism differ from fascism?
Difference between traditional values and attempting to restore glorious imagined past
Materialism (Marxism)
Belief that a society’s economic structure is the underlying force behind all societal institutions, including law, politics, ethics, religion, philosophy, ideology, and art.
Class Struggle
In the modern period, conflict between the bourgeoisie (capitalist oppressors) and the proletariat (working oppressed)
How did Lenin use Marx’s
political philosophy?
Lenin used a minority to lead the majority, advocated for violent revolution
What changes have occurred in China in recent decades?
Move towards opening the economy to the world, economic freedoms heightened
John Rawls’ “Veil of Ignorance”
Creates an impartial perspective towards the social contract
Collective Action Problem
Arise from conflict of group interests and individual interests
Federal
Divides up power between national and regional governments
Freeriding
Not contributing to solving a collective action problem but enjoying benefits of goal being reached
Nation
The people making up a country, population with a historic sense of self
Nation states
Concept that states should map onto the border of nations
Proportional Representation
Elections usually by party list
System is more proportional to votes
Separatism
Desire for sovereignty by a population in a particular region
Single Member District
Elections usually by plurality voting (Don’t need a majority of the votes, just need the most
Socialization
The learning of culture
State
Legal term for the entity commonly known as a country; requires people, territory, government, and acceptance by the international community
Unitary Centralization
Central government has the ultimate authority (can overrule any decision made by regional governments, authority over regional governments, etc)
Characteristics of Western Democratic Model
Commitment to the common good, Observance of political boundaries, Accommodation to the private sphere,
Recognition of human diversity, human fallibility
If a nation’s political culture does not align with the structure of the regime, what effect
may this have on the legitimacy of the regime? Why?
Can decrease legitimacy because actions are not representative of the interests of the people
Explain why tyranny of the majority presents a problem for democratic countries. What is
one possible solution to this problem?
A solution to this problem is the protection of basic rights for all, and could be a problem if the majority abused the minority
Party in the Electorate
Many identify as Democrats or Republicans, private citizens identifying with a political party
Party in Organization
Those working in the background to get people elected, institutions)
Party in Government
Political elites, elected officials
Functions of legislatures
representative, deliberative, legislative, and supervisory
Representative Function
requires that they represent and look out for the interests of the constituents who elected them
Deliberative function
providing a forum for debate and formal decision-making on issues
Legislative Function
carry out their formal responsibility for making law
Supervisory Function
supervise the work of the executive and the bureaucracy
Pluralist
Interest groups represent different interests, lots of identities, any individual can belong to multiple groups
Neopluralism
Groups that are represented are not equal to each other, some interests are represented better than others (those with more power have their interests represented better)
3 Elite focused interest group strategies
Approaching, lobbying lawmakers; Approaching the administration, approaching the judiciary
3 Mass Focus interest group strategies
Appeal to the public, demonstrations, violent protests
Issue Ownership
Party’s reputations that imply competence on specific issues
Median voter theorem
Candidates will attempt to position themselves at the position of the median voter in a given electorate
Party Identification
Long-term voter attachment to a given party (micro-level)
Voting Blocs
Social groups that tend to vote for one party (macro-level)
Retrospective Voting
How has the current government been doing?
Legitimacy of authoritarian governments is established by:
Divine right to rule, secret or higher knowledge
Reasons to study Nazism
threatened to annihilate the very fabric of modern civilization, posed a mortal challenge to liberal democracy, democratic socialism, and communism, may shed light on contemporary neo-fascism and right-wing authoritarianism
Operative Ideals of Nazism
glorification of the authoritarian nation–state, strong dictatorial leadership, racial superiority, Totalitarianism, Enforcement of conformity at home, Imperialism, war, and destruction
