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75 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
states
states are organizations that maintain a monopoly of violence over a territory

refer to a national organization
regimes
political regimes
are the norms and rules regarding individual freedoms and collective equality , the locus of power and the use of that power.
democratic regimes
have rules that emphasize a large role for the public in governance, protect basic rights and freedoms, and attempt to ensure basic transparency of and accountability for government actions
Authoritarian regimes
limit the role of the public in decision making and often deny citizens basic rights and restrict their freedoms.
government
leadership or elite that administers the state
politics
n
coercion
rise of the state and institutions created inequality and harmed social balance (Rousseau)
consensus
social contract between ruler and ruled (Hobbes)
modernization theory
notion that if a country is to become more modern, they must look more like the US, UK, etc.)
o Dominant view post – WWII
o Articulate how countries modernize or fail to do so
o Hope to apply to American foreign policy
o Spread capitalism an democracy

as societies become more modern they inevitably become more democratic.
o Modernization associated with:
➢ More education
➢ Weakening of older, traditional institutions
➢ Greater gender equality
➢ Rise of middle class
communist regimes
are one-party regimes in which a communist party controls most aspects of a country's political and economic system
liberal regime
retains the basic structures of a democracy but does not protect civil liberties.
behaviorism
(inherent to the notion of rationality, and that we are all rational beings)
o New approach to the study of comparative politics
o Rejected qualitative approaches
o Focused on behavior of individuals, not political structures
o Favored greater use of statistics and statistical data gathering
o Hope for a “grand theory” of politics
sovereignty
ability to carry out actions independently of internal/external challengers
regimes
the fundamental rules and norms of politics.
government
the leadership in charge of running the state. Is usually weakly institutionalized i.e. removed by public, by force, by mortality.
legitimacy
: a value where someone or something is recognized or accepted as right and proper.
o Confers authority and power
o Legitimate behavior is seen as the “right thing to do” from a sense of reciprocal responsibility
o Consensus over coercion
traditional legitimacy
valid because “it has always been done this way.” Accepted over a long period of time. Historical myths and legends. Continuity between past and present. Exemplified by monarchies. Heavily institutionalized.
charismatic legitimacy
opposite of traditional. Charisma as the force of ideas. Embodied in a single individual. Weakly institutionalized
rational-legal legitimacy
based on neither rituals nor force of ideas. Based on laws, procedures. Rules are key – how did someone come into power? Exemplified by George Bush, though some might contest this.
federalism
significant power devolved to the local level by constitution, not easily taken away. (Ex: taxes, education, security – local police/militia
ethnic identity
any specific attributes and societal institutions that make one group of people culturally different from others.
o Language, religion, geography, customs, history, and others.
o Ascription – an identity assigned at birth.
national identity
: a sense of belonging to a nation and a belief in its political aspirations.
o Inherently political
o A demand for greater freedom for a group and greater equality from other groups.
o Often, but not always, develops from existing ethnic identity.
feudalism
: A Source of Democratization
o Though hardly a democratic institution, feudalism did create a system of mutual obligations at two levels:
➢ Lords and Peasants
➢ Monarchs and Lords
o Perhaps these obligations became the foundation for the eventual limits on royal power
absolute monarchy
the stage in the evolutionary development of europe between the more decentralized feudal monarchies of the middle ages and the constitutional governments of the modern era. made several important contributions to the modern french state
reign of terror
seizure of power and class war launched by radical jacobins in revolutionary france
blocked vote
forces the legislature to accept bills in their entirety and allows amendments only if they are approved by the government
code law
law derived from from detailed legal codes rather than from precedent
constitutional council
body empowered to rule on any constitutional matter at the request of the government, the heads of each house of the legislature, or a group of at least 60 members
coupd'eat
forceful and sudden overthrow of a government
3 characteristics of democracy
participation, competition and liberty
what are the three types of legitimacy
traditional, charismatic, legal-rational
what is inductive and deductive reasoning
inductive=creates on theory
deductive = facts, data driven
what is the debate between quantitative and qualitative methods of research

quantitative
gather numerical data for statistical analysis. look for patterns, test ideas
qualitative
carry out intensive study of cases through archival research, and interviews
the uk is known to be a birthplace of which economic model
liberalism
why was democratization in the uk a process of evolution and not revolution
n
the collapse of communism is important for comparative politics because?
it wasnt predicated
when an executive head of government is elected from with in the legislature we usually refer to the legislative-executive system as
parliamentary (UK)
which term best describes the uk political regime
majoritarian
uks ethnic makeup, frances ethnic makeup
n
uks relationship with the EU frances relationship with the eu
m
what did the magna carta do
limited power of monarchy and established rule of law
how did democratization weaken or strengthen institutions in the uk and france
n
comparative politics
is the study and comparison of politics across countries
traditional legitimacy
the state is obeyed because it has a long tradition of being obeyed.
charismatic legitimacy
identification with the magnetic appeal of a leader or movement
rational-legal legitimacy
a system of laws and procedures that becomes highly institutionalized
constitutional council in france
has the power of abstract review, which is allowing it do decide questions that do not arise from legal cases, sometimes even allowing it to make judgments on legislation that has not yet been enacted
3 models of legislative-executive relations
parliamentary system
seen among our cases in germany, india, japan, uk) features an executive head of government ( often refereed to as a prime minister) who is usually elected from with in the legislature. the prime minister is usually the leader of the largest political party in the legislature. the pm and the cabinet ( the body of chief ministers or officials in gov in charge of such policy areas as defense, agriculture etc) are charged with formulating and executing policy. the head of state has largely ceremonial duties and is usually either an indirectly elected president or a hereditary monarch
presidential system
used by brazil, mexico, and usa, combines the roles of head of state and head of government in the office of the president. these systems feature a directly elected president who holds most of the governments executive powers. Presidential systems have directly elected legislatures that to varying degrees serve as a check on presidential authority
semi-presidential system
france and russia, this systems includes both a prime minister approved by the legislature and a directly elected president, with two sharing executive power. in practice, semi-presidential systems tend to produce strong presidents akin to those in pure presidential systems, nut the exact balance between the executives varies form case to case
electoral system
determines how votes are cast and counted most democratic regimes use one of two models
proportional representation (PR)
most commonly used of the two. brazil, russia, and south africa employ this system. pr relies on multimember districts (MMDs) in which more than one legislature seat is contested in each electoral district. voters cast their ballots for a list of party candidates in each electoral district rather than for a single representative, and the percentage of votes a party receives in a district determines how many of that districts seats the party will win. this, the percentage of votes each party wins in each district should closely correspond to the percentage of seats allocated to each party. pr systems produce legislatures that often closely reflect the percentage of votes won nationwide by each political party. as a result they tend to foster multiple political parties, including small ones
single member districts (SMDs)
france, uk, usa. in these systems, there is only one representative active for each constituency, and in each district the candidate with the greatest number of votes( not necessarily a majority) wins the seat. As opposed to pr systems, SMD votes cast for all but the one winning candidate are, in effect, wasted: that is, they do not count toward any representation in the legislature. SMD systems tend to discriminate against small parties, especially those with a national following rather than a geographically concentrated following.
mixed electoral systems
germany, japan, and mexico voters are given two votes, one for a candidate and the other for a party. Candidates in smds are elected on the basis of a plurality; other seats are elected from MMDs are allocated using PR
totalitarian regime
feature a strong official ideology that seeks to transform fundamental aspects of the state, society, and economy, using a wide array of organizations and the application of force.
civil society
comprises the organizations outside the state that help people define and advance their own interests.
ethnicity
refers to the specific attributes that make one group of people culturally different from others: for example customs. language, religion, geographical region, and history.
political cultures
the patterns of basic norms relating to politics
national identity
extent to which citizens of a country are bound together by a common set of political aspirations ( most often self-government and sovereignty)
nationalism
a pride in ones people and the belief that they share a common political identity.
common law
a system based on local customs and precedent rather than formal legal codes. that system forms the basis of the contemporary legal systems of the uk ( with the exception of scotland) the united states, and many former british colonies
magna carta
a royal promise to uphold feudal customs and rights. the magna carta set an important precedent by limiting the power of British monarchs and subjecting them to the law. as a result the uk never experienced the type of royal absolutism that was common in other countries ( for ex russia) and this in turn helped pave the way for public control over government and the state
democratization in uk
two factors gradually democratized parliament and further weakened monarchial power.

first was the rise of political parties. second was expansion of suffrage.
uk offers valuable study of regimes
uk is the worlds oldest democracy
no written constitution
birthplace of industrial revolution
uk geogrpahy affected the development of regimes
• Major geographic and demographic features:
o Since 1801, the formal name of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
o Separated from France by the English channel, Great Britain consists of three nations: England, Scotland, Wales
o UK roughly the size of Oregon and about two-thirds the size of Japan.
o Apx. 60 million residents, nearly twice the population of California and half of Japan
o Five of Six Britons live in England
o A multiethnic state but racially homogenous.
uks political regime
o The UK’s political regime is notable because of its highly majoritarian features. (The majority on Parliament has virtually unchecked power)
o The majority party in the UK can enact policies with few checks from other branches of government.
majoritarian
majority in parliament has virtually unchecked power. unlike political parities in other democracies, even parliamentary democracies, the majority party in the uk can enact policies with few checks from other branches of government. also unlike other democracies, there are no formal constitutional limits on the central government, few judicial restraints, and no constitutionally sanctioned local authorities to dilute the power of the government
ethnic groups in uk
i
uk relationship with EU
more european skeptic
what legacies did louis the XI and his successors leave in france
absolutism, strong standing army, in place until 1789
centralized state
describe the legislative-executive relations in france? in the uK?
parliamentary system. france= semi presidential
Charles de gaulle would only return if
strong head of state, strong executive model
3 estates in france
catholic clergy or first estate had primary responsibility for administering the legal system, the landed aristocracy. second estate, prosecuted the kinds wars and financiers form the commoners who made up the commercial class, or third estate, gathered the taxes that paid for the military, the luxuries of the court, and the rest of the state apparatus.
french revolution
french citizens overthrew the ancien regime ( the european old order of absolute monarchy buttressed by religious authority) and replace it, albeit briefly, with a democratic republic guided by the declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen