Standard Us Governments[Landen] Ch1 2009

Front 1

What is Government?

Back 1

An institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.

Front 2

Define Public Policies

Back 2

Things the government decides to do

Front 3

What are the 3 basic kinds of power every government has and exercises?

Back 3

Legislative, executive, and Judicial

Front 4

Define Legislative

Back 4

the power to make law and to frame public policies

Front 5

Define Executive

Back 5

The power to execute, enforce and administration law

Front 6

Define Judicial

Back 6

The power to interpert laws to determine their meaning and to settle disputes that rise within society

Front 7

Define constitution

Back 7

the body of fundamental laws setting out the princibles, structure, and process of government

Front 8

Define Dictatorship

Back 8

the ultimate responsibility for the exercise of these powers may be held by a single person or small group

Front 9

Define Democracy

Back 9

responsibility of powers rest with the majority of the people

Front 10

Politics is a __________; while ________ is an institution.

Back 10

Process, government

Front 11

What is the dominant political unit in the world?

Back 11

the state

Front 12

Define the State

Back 12

a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically, and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.

Front 13

explain population

Back 13

size is irrelevant, and they may or not be homogeneous

Front 14

What does landen want you to know about territory?

Back 14

that there is great variance in states in the world

Front 15

What types of sovereignty do states have?

Back 15

supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies

Front 16

what mr. landen wants u to know about government

Back 16

the agency through which the state exerts it will and works to accomplish its goals

Front 17

What are the 4 theories of the origins of government?

Back 17

The force theory, the evolutionary theory, the divine right theory, the social contract theory

Front 18

Define the Force theory

Back 18

One person or small group took control of an area and forced all with in it to sumit to that persons or groups rule

Front 19

Define the Evolutionary theory

Back 19

state evolved naturally out of the early family

Front 20

Define the Divine right theory

Back 20

God created the state and god gives those of royal birth a "____ ____" to rule

Front 21

Define the Social Contract Theory

Back 21

the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people

Front 22

In what 3 ways can governments be classified

Back 22

1.who can participate in governing process
2. geographic distribution of governmental power within the state
3. the relationship between the legislature and executive branches of the government

Front 23

Define Democracy

Back 23

The supreme political authority rests with the peopple who hold sovereign power with gbovernment being conducted only by and with the consent of the people

Front 24

What is the diference between direct and indirect democracy? Which one are americans more familur with? Why?

Back 24

Direct: will of people is in law by the people themselves in mass meetings

Indirect: representatives express the popular vote

We use indirect because of the fact that our country is so wide that it would be virtually imposible for direct to work

Front 25

Define Dictatorship.

Is it relatively new?

Back 25

Those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people, without government accountability for policies. It is probably the oldest and most common form of government.

Front 26

Define Autocracy

Back 26

government in which a single person holds unlimited political power

Front 27

Define Oligarchy

Back 27

the power to rule is held by a small self appointed elite

Front 28

Describe authoritarian power

Back 28

those in power hold absolute and unchallengeable authority

Front 29

What is meant by totalitarian power?

Back 29

exercise complete power over nearly every aspect of human powers

Front 30

Define Unitary Governments

Back 30

centeralized government where all powers belong to a single agency. ex: GB and the parliment

Front 31

Define Federal Governments

Back 31

powers are divided between a centeral and local governments

Front 32

describe the division of powers

Back 32

basic principle of federalism divided by geography

Front 33

define confederation

Back 33

an alliance of independent states. the central organization only has the power to handle those matters that the meembers have assigned to it

Front 34

2 examples of confederations

Back 34

European Union and confederate states of america

Front 35

Define Presidential Governments

Back 35

features a seperation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of the government. The chief executive is chosen independently of the legislature, holds office for fixted terms and has a number of popwers not subject to the direct control of the legislative branch

Front 36

Define Parliamentary Government

Back 36

the executive is made of the prime minister or premier and his or her official cabnite. The PM is the leader of the major party in the Parliament. A majority of governments in the world are parliamentary not presidential in form.

Front 37

What are the pros and cons of presidential versus the parliamentary

Back 37

pros: avoides prolonged conflict and dead clocks

cons: checks and balances are not part of the system