Civics Vocab Ch 1

Front 1

authority

Back 1

the right and power to give orders and in force rules

Front 2

government

Back 2

institutions and officials organized to establish and carry out public policy

Front 3

power

Back 3

the ability to cause others to behave as they might not otherwise choose to do

Front 4

coercion

Back 4

the use of force or threats to make people do things against their will

Front 5

abuse of power

Back 5

misuse of authority for harmful, unethical, or illegal ends

Front 6

formal authority

Back 6

power to give orders and enforce rules that have been defined in a legal or official way

Front 7

legitimacy

Back 7

quality of being accepted as an authority, often applied to laws or those in power

Front 8

mandate of heaven

Back 8

an ancient Chinese doctrine that the ruler was the "son of heaven" and thus enjoyed supreme authority

Front 9

divine right of kings

Back 9

the idea that European monarchs had a God-given right to rule and thus deserved absolute power

Front 10

social contract theory

Back 10

the idea that the legitimacy of a government stems from an unwritten contract between the ruler and the ruled; a ruler who breaks this contract by abusing people's rights loses legitimacy and may be overthrown

Front 11

public goods

Back 11

product or service that is available for all people to consume, whether or not they pay for it

Front 12

revenue

Back 12

government income, raised through taxes and other means, to be used for public expenses

Front 13

tribute

Back 13

payments in money or goods to ancient empires by smaller states that were under their control

Front 14

polity

Back 14

ancient Greek concept of representative government in which the well-intentioned many rule for the benefit of all

Front 15

nation-state

Back 15

an independent state, especially one in which the people share a common culture

Front 16

sovereignty

Back 16

the right to exercise supreme authority over a geographic region, a group of people, or oneself

Front 17

institution

Back 17

an established organization, especially one providing a public service, and the rules that guide it

Front 18

politics

Back 18

the process and method of making decisions for groups, generally applied to governments though also seen in other human interactions

Front 19

Machiavellian

Back 19

characterized by cunning or ruthless methods to obtain and maintain power; associated with the political philosophy of Niccoló Machiavelli that "the end justifies the means"