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81 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Anarchy
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The condition of no government.
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Aristocracy
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Rule by the “best”; in reality, rule by an upper class.
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Authoritarianism
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A type of regime in which only the government itself is fully controlled by the ruler. Social and economic institutions exist that are not under the government’s control.
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Authority
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The right and power of a government or other entity to enforce its decisions and compel obedience.
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Bill of Rights
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The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
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Capitalism
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An economic system characterized by the private ownership of wealth-creating assets, free markets and freedom of contract.
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Citizens
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Members of a political community having both rights and responsibilities.
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Civil Liberties
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Those personal freedoms, including freedom of religion and freedom of speech, that are protected for all individuals. The civil liberties set forth in the U.S. Constitution, as amended, restrain the government from taking certain actions against individuals.
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Communism
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A revolutionary variant of socialism that favors a partisan (and often totalitarian) dictatorship; government control of all enterprises, and the replacement of free markets by central planning.
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Consent of the People
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The idea that governments and laws derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed.
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Conservatism
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A set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government in helping individuals, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change.
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Democracy
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A system of government in which political authority is vested in the people. Derived from the Greek words demos (“the people”) and kratos (“authority”).
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Democratic Republic
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A republic in which representatives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies.
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Direct Democracy
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A system of government in which political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives; probably attained most easily in small political communities.
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Elite Theory
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A perspective holding that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to further their self-interest.
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Equality
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As a political value, the idea that all people are of equal worth.
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Government
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The institution in which decisions are made that resolve conflicts or allocate benefits and privileges. It is unique because it has the ultimate authority within society.
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Ideology
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A comprehensive set of beliefs about the nature of people and about the role of an institution or government.
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Initiative
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A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.
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Institution
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An ongoing organization that performs certain functions for society.
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Legislature
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A governmental body primarily responsible for the making of laws.
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Legitimacy
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Popular acceptance of the right and power of a government or other entity to exercise authority.
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Liberalism
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A set of beliefs that includes the advocacy of positive government action to improve the welfare of individuals, support for civil rights, and tolerance for political and social change.
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Libertarianism
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A political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward most government activities.
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Liberty
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The greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society.
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Limited Government
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A government with powers that are limited either through a written document or through widely shared beliefs.
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Majoritarianism
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A political theory holding that in a democracy, the government ought to do what the majority of the people want.
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Majority
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More than 50 percent.
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Majority Rule
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A basic principle of democracy asserting that the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should select officials and determine policies.
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Order
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A state of peace and security. Maintaining order by protecting members of society from violence and criminal activity is the oldest purpose of government.
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Oligarchy
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Rule by a few.
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Pluralism
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A theory that views politics as a conflict among interest groups. Political decision making is characterized by compromise and accommodation.
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Political Culture
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The collection of beliefs and attitudes toward government and the political process held by a community or nation.
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Political Socialization
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The process through which individuals learn a set of political attitudes and form opinions about social issues. The family and the educational system are two of the most important forces in the political socialization process.
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Politics
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The process of resolving conflicts and deciding “who gets what, when and how." The struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups that can grant or withhold benefits or privileges.
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Popular Sovereignty
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The concept that ultimate political authority is based on the will of the people.
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Property
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Anything that is or may be subject ownership. As conceived by the political philosopher John Locke, the right to property is a natural right superior to human law (laws made by government).
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Recall
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A procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from state office before his or her term has expired.
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Referendum
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An electoral device whereby legislative or constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters for approval or disapproval.
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Representative Democracy
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A form of government in which representatives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies; may retain the monarchy in a ceremonial role.
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Republic
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A form of government in which sovereignty rests with the people, rather than to a king or monarch.
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Socialism
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A political ideology based on strong support for economic and social equality. Socialists traditionally envisioned a society in which major businesses were taken over by the government or by employee cooperatives.
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Theocracy
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Literally, rule by God or the Gods; in practice, rule by religious leaders, typically self-appointed.
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Totalitarian Regime
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A form of government that controls all aspects of the political and social life of a nation.
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Universal Suffrage
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The right of all adults to vote for their representatives.
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Block Grants
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Federal programs that provide funds to state and local governments for broad functional areas, such as criminal justice or mental-health programs.
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Categorical Grants
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Federal grants to states or local governments that are for specific programs or projects.
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Commerce Clause
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The section of the Constitution in which Congress is given the power to regulate trade among the states and with foreign countries.
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Concurrent Powers
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Powers held jointly by the national and state governments.
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Confederal System
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A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.
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Cooperative Federalism
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A model of federalism in which the states and the national government cooperate in solving problems.
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Devolution
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The transfer of powers from a national or central government to a state or local government.
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Dual Federalism
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A model of federalism in which the states and the national government each remain supreme within their own spheres. The doctrine looks on nation and state as co-equal sovereign powers. Neither the state government nor the national government should interfere in the other’s sphere.
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Elastic Clause, or Necessary and Proper Clause
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The clause in Article I, Section 8, that grants Congress the power to do whatever is necessary to execute its specifically delegated powers.
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Enumerated Powers
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Powers specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution. The first seventeen clauses of Article I, Section 8, specify most of the enumerated powers of the national government.
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Federal Mandate
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A requirement in federal legislation that forces states and municipalities to comply with certain rules.
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Interstate Compact
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An agreement between two or more states. Agreements on minor matters are made without congressional consent, but any compact that tends to increase the power of the contracting states relative to other states or relative to the national government generally requires the consent of Congress.
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Picket-Fence Federalism
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A model of federalism in which specific programs and policies (depicted as vertical pickets in a picket fence) involve all levels of government—national, state, and local (depicted by the horizontal boards in a picket fence).
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Police Power
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The authority to legislate for the protection of the health, morals, safety, and welfare of the people. In the United States, most police power is reserved to the states.
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Supremacy Clause
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The constitutional provision that makes the Constitution and federal laws superior to all conflicting state and local laws.
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Unitary System
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A centralized governmental system in which ultimate governmental authority rests in the hands of the national, or central government.
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Anti-Federalist
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An individual who opposed the ratification of the new Constitution in 1787. The Anti-Federalists were opposed to a strong central government.
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Bicameral Legislature
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A legislature made up of two parts, called chambers. The U.S. Congress, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, is a bicameral legislature.
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Checks and Balances
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A major principle of the American system of government whereby each branch of the government can check the actions of the others.
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Confederation
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A political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers they expressly delegate to a central government; a voluntary association of independent states, in which the member states agree to limited restraints on their freedom of action.
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Electoral College
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A group of persons called electors selected by the voters in each state and the District of Columbia (D.C.); this group officially elects the president and vice president of the United States. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of each state’s representatives in both chambers of Congress. The Twenty-third Amendment to the Constitution grants D.C. as many electors as the state with the smallest population.
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Executive Agreement
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An international agreement between chiefs of state that does not require legislative approval.
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Executive order
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A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law. Executive orders can implement and give administrative effect to provisions in the U.S. Constitution, treaties, or statutes.
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Federal System
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A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional, or subdivisional, governments. Each level must have some domain in which its policies are dominant and some genuine political or constitutional guarantee of its authority.
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Federalist
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The name given to one who was in favor of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the creation of a federal union with a strong central government.
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Great Compromise
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The compromise between the New Jersey and the Virginia plans that created one chamber of the Congress based on population and one chamber representing each state equally; also called the Connecticut Compromise.
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Judicial Review
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The power of the Supreme Court or any court to declare unconstitutional federal or state laws and other acts of government.
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Madisonian Model
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A structure of government proposed by James Madison in which the powers of the government are separated into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.
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Natural Rights
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Rights held to be inherent in natural law, not dependent on governments. John Locke stated that natural law, being superior to human law, specifies certain rights of “life, liberty, and property.” These rights, altered to become “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” are asserted in the Declaration of Independence.
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Ratification
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Formal approval.
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Representative Assembly
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A legislature composed of individuals who represent the population.
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Separation of Powers
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The principle of dividing governmental powers among different branches of government.
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Social Contract
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A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.
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State
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A group of people occupying a specific area and organized under one government; may be either a nation or a subunit of a nation.
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Supremacy Doctrine
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A doctrine that asserts the priority of national law over state laws. This principle is rooted in Article VI of the Constitution, which provides that the Constitution, the laws passed by the national government under its constitutional powers, and all treaties constitute the supreme law of the land.
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Unicameral Legislature
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A legislature with only one legislative chamber, as opposed to a bicameral (two chamber) legislature, such as the U.S. Congress. Today, Nebraska is the only state in the Union with a unicameral legislature.
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