Chapter 1: The Democratic Republic

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Politics

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The struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups that can grant or withhold benifits or privileges.

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Institution

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An ongoing organization that performs certain functions for society.

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Government

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The institution in which decisons are made that reslove conflicts or allocate benefits and privileges.It is unique because it as the ultimate authority within society.

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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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Liberty

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The greatest freedom of individual that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society.

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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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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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Totalitarian Regime

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A form of government that controls all aspects of te political and social life

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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 governmnet's control.

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Aristocracy

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Rule by the "best": in reality rule by an upper class.

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Democracy

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A system of government in which political authority is vested in the people

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Direct Democracy

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A system of Democracy in which political decisions are made by the epople directly, rather than by their elected representitives; probably attained most easily in small political communities.

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Legislature

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A govenmental body primarily responsible for the making of laws

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Initiative

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A procedure by which voters can propse a law or constitiutional amendment

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Recall

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A procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from the state office before his or her term has expired.

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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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Republic

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A form of government in which sovereignty rests with the people, as opposed to a king or monarch.

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Popular Sovereignty

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The concept taht ultimate political authority is based on the will of the people.

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democratic republic

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A republic in which representitives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies.

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representative democracy

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A form of government in which representitives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies; may retain the monarchy in a ceremonial role.

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Universal Suffrage

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The right of all adults to vote for their representitives.

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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 asserted that the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should select officials and determine policies.

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Limited Government

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The principle the powers of government should be limited, usually by institutional checks.

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Majoritarianism

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A political theory holding that in dmeocracy, the governmnet ought to do what the majority of the people want.

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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 futher their self-interest.

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Pluralism

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A theory that viewa politics as a conflict among interest groups.Political decision making is characterized by bargaining and compromise.

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Political Culture

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The collection of beliefs and attitudes toward government and the political process held by the community or nation.

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Political Socialization

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The process through which individuals learn a set of polictical 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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Dominant Culture

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The values, customs, and language established by the group or groups that traditionally have controlled politics and government in a society.

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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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Property

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Anything that is or may be subject to ownership.As conceived bythe political philosopher John Locke, the right to property is a natural right superior to himan law (laws made by government).

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Capitalism

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an economic system characterized by the private ownershio of weath- creating assets and also byfree markets and freedom of contract

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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 governmnet

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Conservation

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A set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national governmnet in helping individuals, support for raditional values and lifestyles, and a curious response to change

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Liberation

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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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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 employeee cooperatives.

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libertarianism

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A political ideolog nased on skepticism or opposition toward almost all governmnet activities.

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Communism

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A revoulutionary variant of socialism that favors a ppartisan (and often totalitarian) dictatorship, government controlof all enterprise, and the replacement of free markets by central planning.

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Fascism

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A 20th century ideology-often totalitarian- that exalts the national collective united behind an absoulute ruler. Fascism rejects liberal individualism, values action over rational deliberation and glorifies war.

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hispanic

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someone who can claim a heritage from a spanish-speaking country. The term is used only in the US or other countries that recieve immigrants- spanish speakng persons living in spanish speaking countries do not normally apply the term to themselves