Unit One: Advanced Democracies Flashcards
What is modernism?
A set of values that comes along with industrialization
What is social capital?
Reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens, and between citizens and the state
What are values of modernism?
- secularism (an emphasis on non-religious aspects of life)
- rationalism (reasoning)
- materialism (valuing concrete objects and possessions)
- technology
- bureaucracy
- an emphasis on freedom rather than collective equality
What are some examples of post-modern values?
- preservation of the environment
- promotion of health care and education
What industries are included in the service sector?
- technology
- health care
- business and legal services
- finance
- education
Who does the industrial sector employ?
People to create tangible goods such as cars, clothing, or machinery
What countries does NAFTA bind?
United States, Canada, and Mexico
What is a rational-legal authority?
A system of well-established laws and procedures
What does the Magna Carta form?
The basis of limited government that placed restrictions on the power of monarchs
What is common law?
Legal system based on local customs and precedent rather than formal legal codes
What is insularity?
The feeling of separation
What is noblesse oblige?
The duty of the upper classes to take responsibility for the welfare of the lower classes
What are England’s geographic features?
- it’s an island
- it has a small size (limits resources)
- it has a short supply of fertile soil and a short growing season (limits Britain’s ability to feed its population)
- it has a temperate climate, but is cold, chilly, and rainy
- it has no major geographical barriers
What happened with the Great Reform Act of 1832?
About 300,000 more men gained the right to vote, and the House of Commons gained more power in relation to the House of Lords
What happened with the Reform Act of 1867?
The electorate reached 3,000,000 as many working class people were given the right to vote
What happened with the Representation of the People Act of 1884?
The electorate was further expanded so that the majority of the voters were working class
What did the Representation Act of 1918 do?
Enfranchise all males and women over that age of 30 who already had the right to vote in local elections
By 1911, what was the only significant power that the House of Lords had left?
To delay legislation
When and why was the Labour Party created?
Created in 1906 to represent the rights of the newly enfranchised working man
What is the trade union council?
A coalition of trade unions
World War 2 marks?
The collapse of the old imperialist order and the beginning of the global hegemony of the United States and the Soviet Union
Who did Britain join during World War 2?
The allied forces
What party was Winston Churchill the leader of?
The Conservative party
What did the Beveridge Report provide for?
Social insurance program that made all citizens eligible for health, unemployment, pensions, and other benefits
When was the National Health Service created?
1948, under leadership of the Labour Party
Britain’s economic problems in the 1970s included?
Declining industrial production and international influence, which were exaggerated by the loss of colonies and the shrinking of the old empire
What were Margaret Thatcher’s policies influenced by?
A distinct turn toward leftist politics by the Labour Party that have a great deal of power to labor unions
What did Margaret Thatcher do?
She privatized business and industry, cut back on social welfare programs, strengthened national defense, got tough with labor unions, and returned to market force controls on the economy
What are the major social cleavages of Britain?
Multi-national identities, social class distinctions, and the Protestant/Catholic split in Northern Ireland
What four nations did the United Kingdom evolve from?
England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
What is the most important social class distinction in Britain?
Between working and middle class people
What were public schools originally intended for in Great Britain?
To train boys for “public life” in the military, civil service, or politics
What is the leaving age for compulsory education?
18
What is the most important portal to the elite classes?
Oxford and Cambridge Universities
What percent of the British population is of non-European origins?
7.1%
What is the civic culture in Britain characterized by?
Trust, deference to authority and competence, pragmatism, and harmony
What are the politics of protest?
The tendency to disagree openly and sometimes violently with the government
What happened after unions staged crippling strikes during the 1970s?
Public opinion turned against them, as people began to view unions as “bullies” to both the government and the general population
What did Thatcherism foster?
Entrepreneurial values of individualism and competition over the solidarity of social classes and the tradition of noblesse oblige
What are the linkage institutions in Britain?
Political parties, interest groups, and print and electronic media
What are caucuses?
Meetings of people from the same area or of like mind
What did the Whigs and the Tories eventually become?
The Whigs became the Liberal Party and the Tories became the Conservatives
What are the two major political parties in Britain?
Labour and Conservatives
What is a hung government?
No party gains a majority and a coalition government forms
What is the largest party on the left?
The Labour Party
What is the main party on the right?
Conservative party
Who is the current party leader and prime minister?
David Cameron
Who is deputy prime minister of the coalition formed with the Liberal Democrats?
Nick Clegg
Who are the only national officials that British voters elect?
Members of Parliament
How often must elections be held?
Every 5 years
The prime minister is not elected as prime minister but as…
An MP from a single electoral district
When do elections officially occur?
After the Crown dissolves Parliament, which always happens because the prime minister requests it
What are British parliamentary elections?
Winner take all
In the Good Friday Agreement of April 1998…
Britain agreed to give Northern Ireland a regional government in which all parties would be represented on a proportional basis
What have the most influential interest groups been?
Those linked to class and industrial interests
What is the main media outlet?
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
In a parliamentary system the executive branch is?
Fused with the legislative branch
Although British government consists of three branches…
Little separation of powers exists between the cabinet and parliament
What is the House of Commons based on?
The assumption that one party will get the majority number of seats, and another will serve as the “opposition”.
Who sits across from the prime minister in the House of Commons?
The leader of the opposition party
What is Question Time?
Time during which the prime minister and his cabinet must defend themselves against attack from the opposition
Who presides over the debates in the the House of Commons?
The speaker of the house
What is the opposition seen as?
The “check” on the majority party
What happens if the majority party loses a “vote of no confidence”?
The cabinet must resign immediately, and elections for new MPs must be held as soon as possible
What is parliamentary sovereignty?
The principle that parliament’s decisions are final
What is the only hereditary parliamentary house in existence today?
The House of Lords
What are hereditary peers?
Members of the House of Lords that hold seats that have been passed down through family ties over the centuries
What are life peers?
People appointed to nonhereditary positions as a result of distinguished service to Britain
What is a white paper?
An announcement of government policy
What is one criticism of the British parliamentary system?
The lack of separation between the prime minister and the legislature creates a dangerous concentration of power, since both are controlled by the same party
Does the British parliamentary system experience gridlock?
No
What’s the difference between code law and common law?
Code law is much less focused on precedent and interpretation that common law
What does the Supreme Court concise of?
A president and 11 justices appointed by a panel of lawyers
What are important sources of legitimacy for advanced democracies?
- the fact that their systems have been in place for a long time
- a high level of social capital (trust between population and government)
How common is the presidential system in advanced democracies?
The United States is the only presidential system
What are the major goals of both the European Union and NAFTA?
To encourage cooperation among nations and redefine the meaning of national sovereignty
What is unique about the British Constitution?
There is no British Constitution
Why are some Brits worried about participation in the EU? What is a main characteristic of British political culture that explains their cautious attitude?
- Brits are worried that the EU would threaten the traditions that Britain is based on
- Britain’s insularity explains their cautious attitude
During which eras have coalition governments ruled Britain?
WW2 era and 2010-present
What is neoliberalism?
The revival of classic liberal values that support low levels of government regulation, taxation, social expenditures, and the protection of individual property rights
Which prime minister most directly reflected the policies of neoliberalism?
Margaret Thatcher
What is the largest ethnic minority in Britain?
Indian
Describe the Conservative party
- main party on the right
- split between traditional wing (noblesse oblige) and “Thatcherites” who want to roll back government control and move to a free market
- tend to see EU as a threat to British sovereignty
Describe the liberal democrats
- main party on left
- began as alliance of trade unions and socialist groups
- have moved towards center since 1990s
- was majority party from 1997-2010
- more supportive of EU membership
How has the plurality system adversely affected the Liberal Democrats?
The party won 26% of the votes in 1983, but because of single member plurality system in Britain, it only won 23 seats (3.5%)
What is different about elections in Scottish and Welsh regional Parliaments?
Their regional parliaments at based on proportional representation
What are quangos?
Policy advisory boards appointed by the government
How do quangos influence policy making in the UK?
They help develop public policy in different policy areas. Some advise on policy while others deliver public services
What is collective responsibility? How does it apply to the cabinet?
Collective responsibility is making policy for the country. The cabinet needs to be unified to keep the government stable
How are judges to the Supreme Court determined?
The president and all 11 justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by a panel of judges
What is the shadow cabinet?
The cabinet that opposes and questions the cabinet members of the majority party
What is the most important responsibility of the speaker of the House of Commons?
To preside over debate
What is a vote of no confidence?
A vote showing that a majority doesn’t support the policy of a leader or governing body
What is the main power of the House of Lords since the turn of the 20th century?
To delay legislation
Since 2009, which party has held the most seats in parliament?
Conservatives
Which party is most openly anti-EU?
Conservative
How has devolution been carried out in Britain?
Scotland and Wales have been allowed to have regional governments
How has the British principle of parliamentary sovereignty hampered the development of judicial review?
Parliamentary sovereignty doesn’t allow for judicial review
What is Keynesianism?
The government took action to secure full employment, expand social services, maintain a steady rate of growth, and keep prices stable
What are some important linkage institutions in the British political system?
Political parties, interest groups, and print and electronic media
How does social class affect voting behavior?
Working class supports Labour Party and middle class supports conservative
How do regions affect voting behavior?
The Labour Party usually does well in urban and industrial areas.
Industrial cities of the north support Labour Party
The conservatives usually win in rural and suburban areas
