Government - Unit 1

Front 1

1. Political culture

Back 1

the widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to government and to one another

Front 2

2. Social capital

Back 2

participation in voluntary organizations that reinforce democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences

Front 3

3. Natural rights

Back 3

The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights

Front 4

4. Democratic consensus

Back 4

widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that undergrid them

Front 5

5. Majority rule

Back 5

governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority

Front 6

6. Popular sovereignty

Back 6

a belief that ultimate power resides in the people

Front 7

7. American dream

Back 7

the widespread belief that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success, and that the United States is a land of opportunity

Front 8

8. Capitalism

Back 8

an economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production and pricing of goods and services

Front 9

9. Monopolies

Back 9

large corporations or firms that dominate their industries and are able to artificially fix prices and discourage competition

Front 10

10. Antitrust legislation

Back 10

federal laws (starting with the Sherman Act of 1890) that try to prevent monopolies from dominating an industry and restraining trade

Front 11

11. Ideology

Back 11

one’s basic beliefs about political values and the role of government

Front 12

12. Liberalism

Back 12

a belief in the positive uses of government to bring about justices and equality of opportunity

Front 13

13. Conservatism

Back 13

a belief that limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity

Front 14

14. Socialism

Back 14

an economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange

Front 15

15. Environmentalism

Back 15

an ideology that is dominated by concern for the environment but also promotes grass-roots democracy, social justice, equal opportunity, nonviolence, respect for diversity and feminism

Front 16

16. Libertarianism

Back 16

an ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on a sharply limited government, promoting a free-market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in the moral and social spheres

Front 17

17. Ethnocentrism

Back 17

selective perception based on individual background, attitudes, and biases that leads one to believe in the superiority of one’s nation or ethnic group

Front 18

18. Political socialization

Back 18

the process by which we develop our political attitudes, values and beliefs.

Front 19

19. Demographics

Back 19

the study of the characteristics of populations

Front 20

20. Political predisposition

Back 20

a characteristic of individuals that is predictive of political behavior

Front 21

21. Reinforcing cleavages

Back 21

divisions within society that reinforce one another, making groups more homogeneous or similar

Front 22

22. Cross-cutting cleavages

Back 22

divisions within society that cut across demographic categories to produce groups more heterogeneous or different

Front 23

23. Manifest destiny

Back 23

a notion held by nineteenth-century American that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans

Front 24

24. Race

Back 24

a grouping of human beings with common characteristics presumed to be transmitted genetically

Front 25

25. Ethnicity

Back 25

a social division based on national origin, religion, language, and often race

Front 26

26. Gender gap

Back 26

the difference between the political opinions or political behavior of men and women

Front 27

27. Gross domestic product

Back 27

an estimate of the total output of all economic activity in the nation, including goods and services

Front 28

28. Socioeconomic status

Back 28

a division of population based on occupation, income and education

Front 29

29. Public opinion

Back 29

the distribution of individual preferences for, or evaluations of, a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population

Front 30

30. Political socialization

Back 30

the process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs

Front 31

31. Attentive public

Back 31

those who follow public affairs carefully

Front 32

32. Voter registration

Back 32

system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility by submitting the proper form

Front 33

33. Australian ballot

Back 33

a secret ballot printed by the state

Front 34

34. Turnout

Back 34

the proportion of the voting-age public that votes

Front 35

35. Party identification

Back 35

an informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood