Quiz #2 vocab Flashcards
ballot referendum, initiative & recall
neo-liberalism
a political approach that favors free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending
collectivist consensus
postwar consensus between the UK’s major parties to build and sustain a welfare state
Burke’s trusteeship theory
suggests that manipulation and blind obedience is a violation of the representative’s duties to serve their beneficiaries’ interests and in failing to serve the public’s interests, a representative is failing to represent the public
House of Commons
the lower house of the Parliament in the UK
to prorogue
discontinue a session of (a parliament or other legislative assembly) without dissolving it
the Troubles
a term for the period of intense sectarian conflict in Northeastern Ireland from the late 1960s to the late 1990s, was a political and nationalistic struggle fueled by historical events, with a strong ethnic and sectarian dimension, fought over the status of Northern Ireland
Good Friday Agreement ‘98
an agreement between the British and Irish govts, and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland, on how Northern Ireland should be governed
shadow cabinet
the team of senior spokespeople chosen by the Leader of the Opposition to mirror the Cabinet in Government
advisory opinion (aka abstract review)
judical review that allows the constitutional court to rule on questions that do not arise from actual legal disputes
Magna Carta
the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law
common law tradition
cabinet
top members of the UK govt who assist the prime minister and run the major ministries
House of Lords
the upper house of the Parliament of the UK
devolution
the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central govt to local or regional administration
Sinn Fein & IRA
a republican document of the early 1980s stated “we are not the IRA, they are a totally separate organization”
Maggie Thatcher
the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to hold the position
taxes: progressive, regressive, flat
progressive: % increases as your income increases
regressive: tax that falls more heavily on the poor (sales taxes)
flat: same rate for everyone
English Bill of Rights, 1689
an act of the Parliament of England that set out certain basic civil rights and changed the succession to the English crown
party manifesto
a publication issued by a political party before a general election
fused (parliamentary) system
citizens vote for parliament reps and the parliament reps name the prime minister
whips
an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in legislature
corporatism
the control of a state or organization by large interest groups
primogeniture
the right by law or custom of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent’s entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children
backbencher
a Member of Parliament who does not hold office in the govt or opposition and who sits behind the front benches in the House of Commons
Bismark
Junkers
members of the landed nobility in Prussia; they owned great estates that were maintained and worked by peasants with few rights
stab-in-the-back thesis
the belief that the German Army did not lose WWI on the battlefield but were instead betrayed by the communists, socialists, and Jews on the home front
Nuremberg Laws 1930s
Nuremberg trials ‘45-46
Berlin Wall Crisis ‘61
the last major European political and military incident of the Cold War concerning the status of Berlin, and of post-WWII Germany; the crisis culminated in the city’s de facto partition with the East German erection of the Berlin Wall
social market economy
fall of Wall/reunification ‘89-90
constructive vote of no-confidence
Weimar Republic
the German govt from 1919-1933; the assembly that adopted its constitution met at Weimar
Hitler 1933-45
Munich & appeasement
Marshall Plan
proposed that the US provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe
Brandt & Ostpolitik
codetermination
a system of corporate governance under which employees of an organization can vote for representatives on its board of directors
Ossies & Wessies
the informal names that people in Germany call former citizens of East Germany and West Germany before re-unification; Ossies (in German, Ost means east) - Wessies (“from the west”)
Beer Hall Putsch 1923
On November 8-9, 1923, Hitler and the Nazi Party led a coalition group in an attempt to overthrow the German govt
Reichstag Fire ‘39
an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Feb 27, 1933 (precisely 4 weeks after Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany
Kristallnacht ‘39
“Night of Broken Glass”; a violent riot against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party; Jewish homes, hospitals, and schools were ransacked as attackers demolished buildings with sledgehammers
Berlin Airlift Blockade ‘48-49
Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader, imposed the Berlin Blockade from June 24, 1948, to May 12, 1949, cutting off all land and river transit between West Berlin and West Germany; the Western Allies responded with a massive airlift to come to West Berlin’s aid
economic miracle (Wirtschaftswunder)
rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after WWII
guest workers (Gastarbeiter)
labor migrants to Germany. primarily from the countries of the Mediterranean littoral; they come alone, usually without language or occupational skills to a nation that does not consider itself a land for imigration
Zeitenwende (turning point)
“times-turn” in German
ECSC ‘51
European Coal and Steel Community; established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris signed on April 18th with the goal of pooling European coal and steel recourses to prevent future wars and promote economic integration
Common Agriculture Policy (CAP)
established in 1962; aiming to ensure affordable, safe and high-quality food, support farmers’ incomes, and promote sustainable farming practices while also supporting rural areas and addressing climate change
Single European Act ‘86-87
brought amendments to the Treaties establishing the European Communities and established European political cooperation
European Central Bank
the central bank for Europe’s single currency, the euro; its main task is to maintain the euro’s purchasing power
Treaties of Rome ‘57
set up the European Economic Community, bringing together Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands to work together towards integration and economic growth through trade; established a common market based on the free movement of goods, people, services, and capital
subsidarity
a principle of social organization that holds that social and political issues should be dealt with at the most immediate or local level that is consistent with their resolution
Economic and Monetary Union
supranational
involving more than one country, or having power or authority that is greater than that of single countries ex. NATO
qualified majority voting
a mechanism used within the European Council and Council of the EU to take decisions without the need for unanimity but which go beyond a simple majority of members
Schengen Agreement
a treaty which led to the creation of Europe’s Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished; was signed June 14 1985
‘democratic deficit’
an insufficient level of democracy in political institutions and procedures in comparison with a theoretical ideal of a democratic government
