Ch 1: Principles Of Government (Magruder's American Government)

Front 1

Government

Back 1

the institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies and laws and the people who do it.

Front 2

Public Policy

Back 2

All of the many goals that a government pursues in all of the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved

Front 3

Legislative Power

Back 3

The power to make law and to frame public policies

Front 4

Executive Power

Back 4

Power to execute, enforce, and administer law

Front 5

Judicial Power

Back 5

The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes within the society

Front 6

Constitution

Back 6

The body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government

Front 7

Dictatorship

Back 7

Government in which one person or a small group holds complete authority

Front 8

Democracy

Back 8

Government in which the supreme authority and power lies with the people

Front 9

Politics

Back 9

the process by which a society decides how power and resources will be distributed within that society; it's neither good nor bad. . . such value judgments may be applied by individuals to describe particular applications by individuals

Front 10

State

Back 10

term generally used in legal context to describe a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically (as in with a government), and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.

Front 11

Country

Back 11

synonym for state generally used in geographic context, referring to a particular place, region, or area of land

Front 12

Nation

Back 12

synonym for state generally used in ethnic context, referring to races or other large groups of people

Front 13

Population

Back 13

the people living under the governance of a state; may be homogeneous, sharing the same customs, a common language, and ethnic background, or diverse (different in background)

Front 14

Identity

Back 14

the distinctive characteristic belonging to any given individual or shared by all members of a particular social category or group; although the American population is diverse, people identify as Americans

Front 15

Sovereign

Back 15

Having supreme and absolute power within its own territory and deciding its own foreign and domestic policies

Front 16

Thomas Hobbes

Back 16

English philosopher associated with SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY; he called the STATE OF NATURE (life without government) "the war of every man against every man," in which there would be "continual fear and danger of violent death" and LIFE would be "solidary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"; thus, government is organized with men to escape chaos and establish order, which is the necessary context for a secure life

Front 17

State of Nature

Back 17

life without government, in which (according to Hobbes) "the war of every man against every man," in which there would be "continual fear and danger of violent death" and LIFE would be "solidary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"

Front 18

Theories of the Origin of Government

Back 18

Force, Evolution, Divine Right, and Social Contract

Front 19

Force Theory

Back 19

holds that government was born of force when one person or a small group claimed control over an area and forced all within to submit to that person's or that group's rule or sovereign government over the population and territory

Front 20

Evolutionary Theory

Back 20

holds that the state developed naturally out of the early family, in which one person was the head and thus the government; over time, the family became a network of families or clan; over time clans became tribes; when the first tribe gave up its nomadic ways and turned to agriculture, the state was born

Front 21

Divine Right Theory

Back 21

held that God created the state and gave those with royal birth a "divine right" to rule; the people were bound to obey their ruler as they would God and opposition was both treason and mortal sin; theory was widely accepted in the Western world from the 15th through the 18th centuries; much thought about present day democracy began as a challenge to the theory of divine right

Front 22

Social Contract Theory

Back 22

(most significant theory in relation to American democracy) Enlightenment theory which hold that, in order to escape the chaos of the state of nature - in which NO authority existed to protect one man from another's aggression-- man organized government by means of a contractual arrangement, giving up voluntarily to the state as much power as necessary to establish ORDER and protect the SECURITY --safety and well-being -- of all; in the CONTRACT or CONSTITUTION, the members of the STATE created a GOVERNMENT to exercise those powers; theory developed by philosophers including Thomas Hobbes, James Harrington, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau

Front 23

Purpose of Government

Back 23

according to the Preamble of the Constitution, they are to (1) form a more perfect union, (2) establish justice, (3) insure domestic tranquility, (4) provide for the common defense, (5) promote the general welfare, and (6) secure the blessings of liberty

Front 24

Liberty

Back 24

According to Thomas Jefferson, "the God who gave us life gave us ___ at the same time" and "eternal vigilance is the price of ____"; according to Ben Franklin, "They that can give up essential ____ to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither ____ nor safety."

Front 25

The Second Treatise of Civil Government

Back 25

(1690) written by John Locke to explain social contract theory and the responsibilities of government; he claimed that people have the right to overthrow an unjust government; greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and other Founders

Front 26

Autocracy

Back 26

A form of government in which a single person holds unlimited political power (e.g., Hitler in Nazi Germany; Stalin in the Soviet Union)

Front 27

Oligarchy

Back 27

A form of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite (think guys with guns and money).

Front 28

Classification of Governments

Back 28

(1) by geographic distribution of power, (2) by relationship of legislative and executive, and (3) by number who may participate

Front 29

Geographic Distribution of Power

Back 29

classifications of government on this basis are (1) unitary, (2) federal, and (3) confederate

Front 30

Relationship of Legislative and Executive

Back 30

classifications of government on this basis are (1) parliamentary and (2) presidential

Front 31

Number Who May Participate

Back 31

classifications of government on this basis are (1) autocratic and (2) democratic

Front 32

Unitary Government

Back 32

A centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency.

Front 33

Federal Government

Back 33

A form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments; key term: DIVISION OF POWERS.

Front 34

Division of Powers

Back 34

FEDERALISM; The constitutional provisions by which governmental powers are divided on a geographic basis

Front 35

Confederation

Back 35

form of government which is an alliance of independent states; power resides with regional members rather than central government; weak and inefficient because all a member must do to subvert the central government is passively resist it, refusing to cooperate (do nothing); rare; e.g., U.S. under the Articles of Confederation and CSA during Civil War (closest modern example: European Union)

Front 36

Presidential Government

Back 36

A form of government in which the executive and legislative branches of the government are separate, independent, and coequal; e.g., the United States

Front 37

Parliamentary Government

Back 37

A form of government in which the executive is a subset of the legislature; the executive branch is made up of the prime minister or premier, and his/her cabinet; e.g., the United Kingdom

Front 38

Propaganda

Back 38

information -either true or false--_intended to persuade people to think or act in a certain way; usually a one-sided explanation or opinion

Front 39

Propaganda Techniques

Back 39

(1) celebrity testimonials, (2) multiple identities, (3) the bandwagon argument, (4) name calling, and (5) scare tactics

Front 40

Celebrity Testimonials

Back 40

using endorsements from famous people to try to persuade; Mr. Action Hero says, "Vote for X; he's my choice."

Front 41

Multiple Identities

Back 41

claiming to be just like you, no matter who you are. "I am one of you. I share your beliefs and concepts."

Front 42

The Bandwagon Argument

Back 42

Urging you to follow the crowd, the majority: "A is voting for me. So are B, C, and D. Why not you, too?"

Front 43

Name Calling

Back 43

attacking and labeling the opposition instead of discussing the issues: "My opponent is un-American."

Front 44

Scare Tactics

Back 44

Using words of pictures to persuade people to act out of fear of consequences, real or perceived: "A vote for my opponent will destroy our children's future."

Front 45

Five Basic Concepts of Democracy

Back 45

(1) A recognition of the FUNDAMENTAL WORTH & DIGNITY of every person, (2) a respect for the EQUALITY of all persons, (3) a faith in MAJORITY RULE with insistence on MINORITY RIGHTS, (4) an acceptance of the necessity of COMPROMISE, and (5) an insistence on the widest possible degree of INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM

Front 46

Compromise

Back 46

the process of blending and adjusting competing views and interests; essential to democracy for 2 reasons: (1) method by which free individuals with different interests reach public policy decisions; (2) most questions of public policy can be answered in many different ways (most issues are not two-sided, but rather multi-faceted

Front 47

Equality

Back 47

in a democracy, people are entitled to (1) equality of OPPORTUNITY and (2) equality BEFORE THE LAW; communism, not democracy) argues for equality of CONDITION

Front 48

Satisfactory Solution

Back 48

majority rule does not guarantee the "right" or "best" solution; it just gives the one that most people can accept

Front 49

Free Enterprise System

Back 49

An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments that are determined by private decision rather than by state control, and determined in a free market

Front 50

Law of supply and demand

Back 50

when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop; when supplies are in shortage, prices tend to rise

Front 51

Mixed Economy

Back 51

an economy I which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion

Front 52

Citizen

Back 52

member of a state who holds certain rights and responsibilities within that state.