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108 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Unitary/federal system
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unitary: state or country that is governed constitutionally as one single unit, with one constitutionally created legislature. The political power of government in such states may well be transferred to lower levels, to regionally or locally elected assemblies, governors and mayors ("devolved government"), but the central government retains the principal right to recall such delegated power.
federal: used to describe a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (like states or provinces). |
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Political Culture
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values/attitudes of citizens about politics
and society • legitimacy/cynicism • pragmatism/ideology ideology: the body of thought that guides a society |
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NICs
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Newly industrialized countries; improving records of representative gov't; improving protection of individual rights; belief in human equality; freedom of speech; free-market economic system; relatively high quality of life; high HDI and Freedom House rankings
Notable countries: India, Mexico, Argentina; South Africa, Turkey |
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LDCs
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Less Developed Countries
low standard of living; low HDI ranking mainly located in Africa, some in Asia |
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"Third World System"
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coined by Alfred Sauvy, French historian
Breaks the world up into three categories, First (advanced liberal democracies), Second (communist-world), Third (countires at different level of development) Since then, a "Fourth" world has been added to keep the concept relevant that contains the 40 poorest countries |
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“electoral democracy”
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defined by Freedom House as having "positions of politcal power filled through regular, free, and fair elections between competing parties, and it is possible for incumbent gov't to be turned out of office through elections.
Other characteristics - competitve, multiparty political system - universal adult suffrage - regularly contested elections conducted on the basis of secret ballots, reasonable ballot security and the absence of massive voter fraud - significant public access of major political parties to the electorate through the media and through generally open campaigning |
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Liberal Democracy
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a representative democracy in which the ability of the elected representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to the rule of law, and usually moderated by a constitution that emphasizes the protection of the rights and freedoms of individuals, and which places constraints on the leaders and on the extent to which the will of the majority can be exercised against the rights of minorities (see civil liberties).
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Pluralism
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political power in society does not lie with the electorate but is distributed between a wide number of groups. These groups may be Trade Unions, interest groups, business organizations, and any of a multitude of formal and informal coalitions
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Civic Culture
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the degree of citizen participation in politics, esp. voting and municipal affairs
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John Locke
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Enlightenment thinker who heavily influenced Thomas Jefferson, a natural state all people were equal and independent, and none had a right to harm another’s “life, health, liberty, or possessions.”
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Judicial review
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established in Marbury v. Madison by Chief Justice John Marshall; does Supreme Court have the ability to overturn laws passed in congress
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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established Judicial review when Marbury challenged Jefferson's handling of Court appointment
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Party Cohesion and Discipline
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a measure of a party's ability to act as one unified body
principle is very important in British politics as having a unified party is necessary to have control of Parliment and hence the P.M. position |
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Bicameral legislature
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two legislative or parlimentary chambers
usually lower house is stronger than the upper house |
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George W. Bush
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43rd President, current President of the U.S.
Legacy: handling of country following 9/11, invasion of Afghanistan and Iran, increasing debt, increasing trouble with immigration, China emergence as the global economic power |
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Division of Power
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model of government that gives different powers to different branches of government
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Nancy Pelosi
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Current speaker of the House of Representatives; highest ranking woman in U.S. politics ever
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separation of power
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model of government that gives different powers to different branches of government
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Harry Reid
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Democrat senate majority leader; is the face of his party
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Checks and balances
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Idea that different branches of the government have the ability to limit the power of any single government entity
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Dick Cheney
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Vice President of the United States, next in line to be President; President of the Senate, casts deciding vote in an event of a tie
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Primary election
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an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election (nominating primary). In other words, primary elections are generally when each political party decides its nominee for the upcoming general election. Primaries are common in the United States, but are generally rare elsewhere in the world.
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Electoral College
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who are empowered as a deliberative body to elect a candidate to a particular office; these people are chosen on the hope that their wisdom will help pick the right person
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PAC
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political action committee is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect or defeat government officials or to promote legislation
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Liberal democrat party
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3rd largest party in the UK, formed through merger between Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party; very pro-environment agenda
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Robert Walpole
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the first Prime Minister of U.K.; over the 21 years he was P.M., he had his cabinet oversaw the diminishing power of Monarch
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Tony Blair
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Former Prime Minister for 10 years; will be known for devolving power to Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the decision to go to war in Iraq; adopting the EU Convention on Human Rights; removing most of the hereditary peers in the House of Lords, and passing the Freedom of Information Act
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Prince Charles
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Next in line for the throne of England; would like to see the monarchy separate from the Anglican Church
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David Cameron
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head of the Conservative Party (Tories); serious threat of ending the Labour Party's run as the majority in the next elections
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IRA
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Anti-British terrorists who seek unification of all Ireland; since 2005 have disarmed and entered into a power-sharing agreement with Northern Ireland's Protestant community
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TUC Trades Union Congress
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a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions. There are sixty five affiliated unions with a total of about seven million members.; initiated the Labour Repressntation Committee in the late 19th century (which went on to become the Labour Party). The major TUC affiliated unions still make up the great bulk of the British Labour Party affiliated membership, but there is no formal/organisational link between the TUC and the party.
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Menzies Campbell
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Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party
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MP
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Member of Parliament; elected by voters to a Parliament
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Gordon Brown
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Current Prime Minister of U.K. and Head of the Labour Party
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Common Law
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no major codification of law and judicial precedent is binding; in contrast to the civil law system
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“The City of London”
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small city within Greater London; a large business financial center now; historic core of London and home to Westminister
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"The Third Way"
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small British political party formed in 1990
It advocates Direct Democracy along Swiss lines using referenda and citizens' initiatives. It supports small business and co-operative ownership. Third Way opposes over-centralised government and promotes decision making at the lowest practical level. |
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Oxbridge
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portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge; two elite universities of England who have consistently produced the leaders of the country; referred to as critics as an "old boy network"
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proportional representation
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a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies); current movement in England for it to replace the current winner take all situation
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Margaret Thatcher
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She was leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990. She is the first (and, to-date, only) woman to have been Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; deregulation of British business and broke up the unions, rescued Britain from stagnation at the cost of higher unemployment in the manufacturing sector
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Westminster
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home to Parliament- House of Lords and House of Commons
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Whitehall
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on the site of the old palace, is the address of the most important government buildings.
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public schools
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a private or 'independent', fee-paying school, generally not coeducational; some are very selective and feed into Oxbridge
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Anglican Church
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started with the split of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic church during the reign of Henry VIII; currently tied together with the monarchy although Prince Charles has talked about a possible split
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Queen Elizabeth II
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current queen of the United Kingdom and the other commonwealth realms; only a figurehead
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collective responsibility
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members of the Cabinet must publicly support all governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not privately agree with them; occurs with a vote of no confidence when the entire government has to resign
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head of state
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role of the queen, ceremonial position
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ministerial responsibility
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a cabinet minister bears the ultimate responsibility for the actions of their ministry or department
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unwritten constitution
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a misnomer b/c most of it is written, a uncodified body of law which constitutes the rules for how the country functions; U.K. does have rules and statutes, but is not condensed into a single document
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Shadow cabinet
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a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition (or the leader of other smaller opposition parties) form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government. Members of a shadow cabinet are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government. It is the Shadow Cabinet's responsibility to pass criticism on the current government and its respective legislation, as well as offering alternative policies
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vote of no confidence
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results in the government being dissolved and new general elections
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Chancellor of the Exchequer
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title held by the British Cabinet minister responsible for all economic and financial matters; 2nd most important position in Parliament behind the minister
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House of Commons
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646 MPs; party leaders guide the voting; Committees are not very powerful b/c the major decision has usually been made; Parliamentary system depends on party cohesion; MPs don't have to live in constituencies
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House of Lords
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561 Life peers; 91 hereditary positions through election; spriritual leaders also have seats; screen bills but cannot vito; Blar has separated judicial aspect
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Question Period
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a weekly period of time in which the PM answers the questions of the Parliament
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backbenchers
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Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Oppositio
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4 Lands of the United Kingdom
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Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, England
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frontbench
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The government front bench is on the right hand side as seen by the Chairman (typically the Speaker of the House of Commons or the Lord Speaker), and is occupied by Government ministers
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Magna Carta
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signed in 1215, most important effect was limiting the monarch's powers and making sure he/she stayed within the law; came about b/c King John was encroaching on the Noble's powers within their localities
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devolution
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granting of certain government powers by the centery to the periphery; Scotland and Wales have now setup their own parliaments
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Ulster
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A province of Ireland- 6 of its counties form Northern Ireland
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deference
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the extent to which a court respects the authority or validity of a government act or decision during the process of judicial review; currently the courts of the UK have high deference to rulings in Parliament
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Sinn Fein
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only political party to have seats in the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Sinn Féin is currently the third-largest party in Ireland by vote share
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Tory & Whig
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Tory- Conservative Party
Whig- Liberal Party and now Liberal Democrat Party |
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Plaid Cymru
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political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union.
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Conservative Party
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current party Leader Dave Cameron, main opposition party in U.K., also known as the Tories
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Scottish National Party
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a centre-left political party which campaigns for Scottish independence; largest party in the Scottish Parliament
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Labour Party
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current Party Leader is Dan Brown, majority party of U.K.; grew out of trade union movement and social political parties of the 19th century
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Third Republic
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longest republic in French history, lasted from the defeat of Emperor Napolean III in the Franco-Prussian War until the invasion of France by the German Third Reich; fairly conservative and bourgeois
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Fourth Republic
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Only lasted 12 years following WWII; modeled after the Third Republic; the strong legislative branch led to massive political instability and governments constantly changing
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Fifth Republic
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Semipresidential System created by Charles de Gaulle; the president was first elected by electoral college, no directly elected
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Dominique de Villepin
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Prime Minister of France during the last two years of Chirac's presidency; in 2003 as Foreign Minister spoke out at the U.N. against the war in Iraq
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Nicolas Sarkozy
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current President of France; conservative stance on law and order issues and his admiration for a new economic model for France, combining labour-market reforms to bring France somewhat closer to a liberalised economy like that of the United Kingdom, with a policy of economic nationalism and protectionism
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cohabitation
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President and the Majority of Parliament are from two different parties
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Constitutional Council
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Assess laws in conformity w/Constitution; Jurisdiction over elections and referenda
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Art. 16 of the French Constitution
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the President has the power to suspend the constitution in times of emergency; de Gaulle only used this article once
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Elysee Palace
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official residence of the President of the French Republic, where the president's office is located, and the Council of Ministers meets
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National Assembly
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very weak; government controls the priority of bills; has a narrow "domain of law", "Gov't responsibility bills" can pass w/o a vote
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Hotel Matignon
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official residence of the Prime Minister of France.
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Senate
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even weaker than the National Assembly; elected by an indirect college; overrepresent rural France; senators hold multiple positions
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departements
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dministrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to English counties
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Council of State
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assists the executive with legal advice and is supreme court for administrative justice
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UDF(Union for Fr Democracy)
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French centrist political party. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over the right.
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RPR(Rally for the Republic)
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a French right-wing political party. Originating from the UDR, it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism
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Framcois Hollande
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Since 1997, he has been the chairman of the French Socialist Party.
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grand corps de L'Etat
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bodies of senior officials of which members have to exert great responsibilities within the public office for State
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Corsica
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island off of France, birthplace of Napoleon; has a an independence movement
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grandes ecoles
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higher education establishments outside the mainstream framework of the public universities
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Basques
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an indigenous people who inhabit parts of northeastern Spain and southwestern France; Basque nationalism has demanded the right of self-determination and even independence
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ENA (Ecole Nationale d’Administation)
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school where many of France's senior officials are instructe; produces less than 100 graduates every year
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Bretons
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province in Northwest France; one of six Celtic nations; has a nationalist movement: Breton nationalists include the desire to obtain the right to self-rule, whether within France or independently of it, and to acquire more power in the United Nations and other international bodies
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Jacques Chirac
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French politician and a former President of France; second longest serving French president; a Gaullist; one of the leading voices against U.S. invasion of Iraq
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Napoleon Bonaparte
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general during the French Revolution and twice emperor of France; his conquests led France to be in control of most of continental Europe at one point
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National Front(FN)
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a French far-right, nationalist political party, founded in 1972 by Jean-Marie Le Pen
POLICIES INCLUDE * A return to traditional values: to include making access to abortion more difficult or illegal; giving an income to women who do not go out to work; promoting certain local traditional culture. * Greater independence from the European Union and other international organizations. * The establishment of tariffs or other protectionist measures against cheap imports. * Reinstatement of the death penalty. |
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Charles de Gaulle
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led the resistance movement against occupied France;
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Jean-Marie Le Pen
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founder and president of the Front National (National Front) party; He advocates immigration restrictions, the death penalty, incentives for homemakers,[1] compulsory military service, and euroscepticism.
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Radicals
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a French liberal party; has started to make a small comeback in French politics
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lycee
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secondary education; a stepping stone to a University degree; students take the baccalauréat upon completion of lycee
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Rule of Incompatibility
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This measure necessitated the institution of a substitute to stand in for a deputy appointed to serve in the government.
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French Communist Party(PCF)
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largest communist group in France; is the third largest party by membership; has been on decline over the past couple of decades
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Vote of Censure
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the power of the National Assembly to vote for the resignation of the government
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French Socialist Party (PS)
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one of the largest political parties in France; first gained power with Mitterand's victory in 1981 Presidential election
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interpellation
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the chief means by which the policy or action of the ministry of the day is challenged; it is usually made the subject of a general debate, and generally ends with a vote of confidence or want of confidence in the ministry. The right of permitting or vetoing an interpellation rests with the chamber. In France a tendency has been growing among deputies to use the interpellation as a method of attack on or accusation against individual colleagues.
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Segolene Royal
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member of the Socialist party, lost by 7% in the 2nd round of voting to Sarkozy
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Government Responsibility Vote
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bill pass w/o vote
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blocked vote(bloc vote)
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no amendments, take it or leave it
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Single-member district/two ballot system
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a voting system in which a single winner is chosen in a given constituency by having the most votes, regardless of whether or not he or she has a majority of votes; France has a similar system/occurs when in the first round of Presidential voting no candidate receives 50% of the vote, then goes to a second round of voting which is a runoff between the two top vote-getters from the 1st round
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Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
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main French centre-right political party; has the majority in the national assembly and has Sarkozy as president
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