Test Flashcards
What is made up of the formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made for a group of people?
Government
Three main components of government:
People, Power, Policy
Two types of people in government:
Elected officials and public servants
Any decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal?
Policy
A policy can take the form of:
A law, a government program, or a set of government actions
Political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a clearly defined territory
State
All states are characterized as having four traits:
Population
Territory
Government
Sovereignty
One of the world’s smallest states:
Tuvalu
Which province in China has 1 billion people?
Henan Province
World’s chief body for international cooperation:
United Nations
What includes independence from other states as well as the freedom to establish a form of government?
Sovereignty
How does a state limit the sovereign power of their governments?
Constitution
Our government serves five functions:
Ensure National Security Maintain Order Resolve Conflict Provide Services Provide for Public Good
There are three main theories of rule:
Divine Right
Natural Law and Natural Rights
The Social Contract
The idea of _________ is based on a system of rules derived from the natural world
Natural Law
What holds that the first governments formed as a result of people agreeing among themselves to submit to the authority of a state?
The Social Contract Theory
Who believed that in order to protect natural rights from government interference government power had to be limited, or subject to certain restrictions?
Locke
Who believed that humans lived independent lives in the state of nature, but they were happy, good, and free?
Rousseau
Ruled by a monarch, usually a king or queen, who belongs to a royal family
Power is inherited
Absolute monarchs have unlimited power
Monarchy
Based on the idea that there are limits to the rightful of a government over its citizens
Power of the monarch is limited by law; the real power lies in another branch of government
May coexist with other forms of government such as a representative democracy
Monarchy is an example of autocracy, any form of government in which a single individual- an autocrat- controls most governing decisions
Constitutional Monarchy
Single dictator or a small group holds absolute authority and makes all decision
Violence and force used to maintain rule
Dictatorship
Dictator holds ultimate authority
Government tightly controls all aspects of life- political, social, and economic
No formal or informal limits on government
Totalitarian Regimes
Small group of people make most government decisions for their own benefit
Membership in the ruling group may be based on wealth, family, or military power
Oligarchy
Rulers claim to represent and be directed by a set of religious ideas
Laws are rooted in a particular religion or religious doctrine
Government power is unlimited
Theocracy
The term democracy means:
Rule by the People
Government by the people; citizens are the ultimate source of government authority
Citizens come together to discuss and pass laws and select leaders
Works best in small communities
Direct Democracy
Indirect form of democracy;
citizens elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf
Representatives elected for set terms
Representative Democracy
In what system does sovereignty, or ultimate authority, rest in a single, national government?
Unitary System
In Unitary systems, most national governments consist of a number of smaller administrative units like:
States, cities, provinces
What system divides power over people and territory between a national government and smaller regional levels of governments?
Federal System
Another word for Federal system; is the actual idea of the system
Federalism
In what do system independent states join forces by forming a central government, called a confederation?
Confederate System
The states keep full control over their own territories and people
The states however will delegate limited powers to a central government to pursue areas of common interest
Confederate System
What was the first Constitution of the United States?
Articles of Confederation
In the US, the president may be commander in chief of the armed forces, but most only ________ can declare war
Congress
In a Parliamentary system the _________ ________ and __________ _________ of gov’t are combined
Executive Branch and Legislative Branch
Who leads in a parliamentary system instead of a President?
Prime Minister
Once selected, the prime minister appoints ________ ________ from the ranks of the majority party
Cabinet Members
What type of vote can remove the prime minister from office?
Vote of no confidence
What are the core ideas of American Democracy?
Liberty, equality, and self-government
Idea of the ability of people to act and think as they choose, so long as their choices do no harm to the liberty or well-being of others
Liberty
What is the principle that all people possess a fundamental, moral worth that entitles them to fair treatment under the law and equal opportunity in all aspects of life- political, social, and economics
Equality
The belief that ordinary people could aspire to rule themselves and do so as political equals
self-government
Basic Principle of Democracy:
decisions are made by majority rule
political rights held by groups who make up less than half of the population
Minority rights
In what type of democracy are the individual rights and liberties of all people, including those in the minority, protected
Liberal democracy
Key principle of democracy:
Compromise
allows for people and business to make their own economic choices about how to best produce, distribute, and exchange goods and services with limited interference from government
Free Enterprise
