Unit 3 Flashcards
What does democracy stand for?
Demos - Citizen
Kratos - Power
Define Democracy:
Government of the people, by the peopleand for the people
What concept is emphasized in Democracy?
Majority rule with respect for minority rights
What are the 2 types of democracy? There 2 subdevision systems? And the 2 types of the seperation of power?
1) Direct or Representative
2) Federal or Unitary
3) Parliamentary or Presidential
Where did Democracy originate? And what did they practice?
- Ancient Athens
- Practiced Direct Democracy
Define Direct Democracy:
- Citizens directly take part in the making of laws
In todays dan and age, why is direct democracy not practical?
Becasue of the large size of communities and the complexity of issues.
How is Direct Democracy still used today?
The governt is able to involve citizens through a direct vote in which each person votes for or againts the proposed action.
This is done through REFERENDUMS or PLEBISCITES.
Define Referendums:
Legally binding votes
Define Plebiscites:
Non-binding votes (opinion poll)
Define Representitive Democracy:
- Holds the principle of political equality (one person, one vote)
- Citizens vote to elect people who represent personal intrests and concerns
- To achieve political equity, the country is divided into 2 political units (constituencys and ridings)
- Thoses who are elected, meet debate, and make laws on behalf of the community.
How does the First Past the Post and Winner Takes All system work?
- It is a type of representitive democracy in which candidates compete for ONE seat, whoever wins the most votes becomes the ridings representitive.
What type of government does First Past the Post and Winner Takes All systems tend to create?
They tend to artifically create majority governments.
How does a Proportional Representation system elect representitives?
- Seats are distributed based on the total number of votes a political party wins.
What type of government does Proportional Representation system tend to create?
Minority or coalition governments.
Define a Fedual system:
- It hase three levels of goevernent (national, state/provincial, municipal)
- Power is divided dependant on the constitution
- Forbids one level from interfearing with anothers power
- Sometimes the levels have to negociate together if the issues overlap.
Define a Unitary system:
- only a national government (some legislative responsibilities are
usually delegated to lower (city, town,
county) levels of government) - national government has the power to disallow laws passed by these lower levels.
Why is political power divided amongst three branches?
so that power cannot be centralized in any one branch. This is called the principle of separation of powers.
What is the legislative branch responsible for?
Making laws
What is the executive branch responsible for?
Enforcing laws
What is the judiciary branch responsible for?
Intrepreting laws
Describe Parliamentary Democracy:
- emphasizes the
role of a parliament in making government
decisions & policy - Specifically, the executive branch is
comprised of a Prime Minister & Cabinet.
-
In a parliamentary democracy, how do prime ministers come into power?
Prime Ministers are not elected by citizens but rather are leaders of the political party that is elected to office.
Describe presidential democracy:
- a president is directly elected by the citizens.
- they makes up a big portion of the executive branch but they do work
with a Vice President & Cabinet. - they have veto power tho over decisions
What is essential to protect in democracy? and why?
- Minority rights
- Only by guaranteeing the individual rights and freedoms of all citizens can democracy avoid degenerating into a tyranny (oppressive/cruel rule) of the majority.
How does the government stay accountable in democracys?
- all citizens have the right to
participate in political processes
(voting, running for office, campaigning for
candidates, and expressing political opinions) - This keeps the governemt acountable to the people
How does opposition relate to acountability in govenrment?
- expressed as an official opposition within the legislature and through the right of citizens to dissent with government decisions.
- The freedom of dissent is limited by the requirement of respecting the rights of others
Define popular soverntienty:
- rule by the people
What 9 points does popular sovernty require?
1) periodic elections
2) Secret ballots
3) Universal suffrage
4) Independant judicary - (court systems/ judges are beyond the control of the government becasue they make decisions that go against the government)
5) Rule of Law - (everones equal under the law)
6) Power of the Purse (raising/spending of all money must originate with the elected representatives of the people)
7) Political Parties
8) Interest groups
9) Free Press
What are 5 problems with democracy?
1) Voter Apathy
2) Tyranny of the Majority
3) Lobby Groups
4) Power of Bureaucracy
5) Party Discipline
Describe a dictatorship:
- power & rule is conducted by entities that have no accountability to the people of a nation
- subject to the goals and ambitions of the select few individuals that have power and rule over a nation in their interests
- Most dictatorships operate in a parasitic relationship with their people, living a luxurious life while the quality of life of the people is sacrificed.
Describe Autocracy:
- government that is ruled by one individual with absolute authority.
- they rule to the intrest of themsleves
- maintains their authority by force
(Nazi Germany)
Describe oligarchy:
- rule/power is concentrated in a small number of individuals
- focased interest of the elite group at the expense of the majority
(Islamic Republic of Iran)
Describe totalitarianism:
- all encompassing and high degree of control within a dictatorship.
- most extreme and total control over both public and private life
(typicaly occurs in autocracys)
Describe Junta:
- Rule is conducted by a military leader or tribunal (military oligarchy) in which decisions about the nation & people are made
(sudan)
Five Techniques of dictatorship:
1) Propaganda
2) Indoctornation
3) Direction of popular discontent
4) The use of force
5) Controlled participation
