Unit 1 Flashcards
State of Nature
a condition in which no laws or government existed at all
How does Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau relate to eachother?
They all developed theories of government.
Social Contract
The agreement between the people and the government.
Rule of Law
Everyone must follow the same laws. Laws should be known, predictable and impartial. Even the government is subject to the law.
Political Equality
Every citizen has the same right to vote and run for office to speak on public issues.
Common Good
Democratic citizens should work towards having a sense of responsibility and caring for others.
Personal Freedoms
People enjoy many personal freedoms - i.e., religion, expression, equality, mobility, etc
Human Dignity
Every individual or group has the rights to feelings of self respect and self worth, and physical and psychological empowerment.
Political Freedoms
People can speak freely, form associations, run for office, and vote without being intimidated.
Being informed & getting involved
The ability to communicate openly and participate individually and collectively in issues that shape their community, country, and world.
Respect
Understanding that respect for your rights requires you to respect the rights and freedoms of others.
Direct Democracy
There are no representatives, citizens are involved in the day to day work of governing the country.
Representative Democracy
Citizens elect leaders to represent their rights and interests in governments, citizens hold the ultimate power because they can vote in new representatives.
Monarchy
A king or queen rules the country, comes to power through family line.
Oligarchy
A small group of people have all the power
Junta
a type of oligarchy, a small group of people (usually military officers) who take it over by force
Theocracy
A government that recognizes God or a divine being as the ultimate authority.
Anarchy
Nobody is in control.
Autocracy
Single leader
Dictatorship
One leader has absolute control over all of the citizens.
Robert Mugabe
A democrat turned dictator/tyrant of Zimbabwe.
Pros of democracy
Equality for citizens
Needs and rights of citizens are respected
Majority of citizens vote for the leader
Ability to change leadership through voting
Cons of democracy
Can be a very time consuming process
Elections are very expensive
Hard to come to a consensus with many different opinions
Tyranny of the Majority
When the majority makes laws that benefit them but are at the expense of the rest of the community.
Rights
Anything which protects us citizens from others and guarantees us that no one can take advantage of us unfairly.
Responsibilities
Any obligation that we have as citizens that is designed to make life more pleasant for others in our society.
Individual Rights vs The Common Good
Individual rights are rights that are required to live a free life and cannot be interfered with or denied by the government. The common good is something that is in the best interest of the whole community.
