Unit 1 Flashcards
natural rights
the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property
John Locke
an Enlightenment philosopher who argued that people are born with “natural rights” that include “life, liberty, and property” and if rulers betray the social contract, the people have a right to replace them
Limited govt
separation of powers
a principle of American government whereby constitutional authority is shared by three separate branches of government—the legislative, the executive, and the judicial
social contract
the notion that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others
unalienable rights
rights based on nature and Providence rather than on the preferences of people (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness)
State of Nature
The basis of natural rights philosophy; a state of nature is the condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws.
democracy
a term used to describe a political system in which the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly
direct (participatory) democracy
a government in which all, or most, of its citizens participate directly in either holding office or making policy
representative democracy
a political system in which leaders and representatives acquire political power by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote
limited government
guarantees that government does not hold all the power and that it does only things that people allow it to do
Popular Sovereignty
The principle that a government derives its power from the consent of the people, primarily through their elected representatives.
Republicanism
political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.
Writer of Leviathan
Hobbes
Hobbes’ beliefs about government
social contract
rule by absolute sovereign
dictatorship
writer of 2 Treatises of Government
John Locke
Locke’s beliefs about government
people are born w/ natural rights (life, liberty, property)
govt should protect natural rights
limited govt
state of nature
writer of Discourse on Inequality & The Social Contract
Rousseau
Rousseau’s beliefs about government
popular sovereignty
social contract
direct democracy
writer of The Spirit of Laws
Montesquieu
Montesquieu’s beliefs about government
separation of powers (3 branches w/ checks & balances)
republicanism
representative democracy
Elite democracy
emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society
Pluralist democracy
recognizes group-based activism by non governmental interests striving for impact on political decision making
Factions
group of individuals that share a common political purpose but differs in some respect to the rest of the entity