Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

AP Comp > AP Comp General Terms > Flashcards

AP Comp General Terms Flashcards

1
Q

accountability

A

the concept that government officials are responsible to, and may be removed from office by their constituents or other government officials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

advisory opinion

A

an opinion of a court that does not decide a specific legal case, but instead simply advises other parts of the government on the proper interpretation of the constitution, law, or regulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

agents of political socialization

A

the societal structures through which political orientation is passed from some members of a society to others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

agricultural society

A

a society in which most economic production comes from agriculture

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

apostasy

A

the formal abandonment of one’s religion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

apportionment

A

the process of allocating power to a set of consituencies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

arable land

A

land that is suitable for raising crops (it need not be cultivated to count)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

authoritarian system

A

a system led by a group of leaders that has complete authority and is unaccountable to the population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

authority

A

similar to power, but with a claim of legitimacy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

autocracy

A

a system of government in which one person has unlimited power

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

big tent parties

A

political parties that seek to build large coalitions across the cleavages within their society

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

bureaucracy

A

a body of unelected government officials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

bureaucrat

A

a member of a bureaucracy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

cabinet

A

a council of high-ranking government officials wielding at least some of the executive power of government (members often serve as advisers to a president or prime minister)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

civil disobedience

A

the intentional breaking of laws with the intention of exposing those laws’ lack of fairness or justice

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

civil law (code law)

A

a system of laws in which only legislative acts, and properly executed regulations, have the force of law (judicial precedents rarely, if ever, have the force of law in these systems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

cleavages

A

divisions that cause people within a society to support different sides of an issue, support a particular party, or vote differently from their fellow citizens

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

clientelism

A

the practice of exchanging public resources for votes, and political support. Often seen in corporatist systems, although its existence is not limited to such systems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

code law system

A

(civil law) a system of laws in which only legislative acts, and properly executed regulations, have the force of law (judicial precedents rarely, if ever, have the force of law in these systems

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

co-equal branches

A

the concept frequently found in presidential systems that the three branches of government are equal in power to each other, with no branch superior to the other two

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

coinciding cleavages

A

when membership in a particular segment of society correlates with membership in another segment of society. (ex: membership in a particular ethnic group tends to correlate with membership in a particular social class)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

collectivization

A

the process of bringing individual property and resources under communal control (normally seen in communist systems)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

command economy

A

a governmental and political system under which the government is very involved in the planning and operation of the economy. Market forces are not allowed to operate freely

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

common law

A

a system of laws created through judicial precedents rather than legislative or executive actions. In common law systems, judicial precedents have the force of law, unless a specific legislative act, or executive regulation, is passed that supersedes these precedents

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
communism
a political ideology which advocates a political system in which all property is held in common, usually by the state
26
conservatism
a political ideology which advocates a political system in which traditional institutions are respected and maintained, while allowing for slow and minimal change
27
constitution
a set of fundamental laws, usually found in a single document, which lay out the powers and structures of a government, as well as the relationship between the government and the people
28
constitutional monarchy
a governmental system in which the power of a monarch is limited
29
co-option or co-optation
the political tactic of winning over opponents by assimilating some of their positions into your own
30
corporatist system
a political system based on the cooperation of the government and key interest groups
31
correlation
the association of two events in time and/or space without a clear causal relationship
32
coup d'etat
the forceful removal of a government, often by the military
33
cross-cutting cleavages
cross-cutting cleavages exist when membership in one segment of society does not correlate with membership in another segment of society. For example, membership in a particular ethnic group does not tend to correlate with membership in a particular social class
34
de facto
a latin term meaning in fact. Often used in politics to describe situations in which political realities differ from those required by law
35
de jure
a latin term meaning in or by law. Often used in politics to describe situations in which political realities differ from those required by law
36
democracy
rule by the people
37
democratic centralism
a highly centralized system of government in which members of the ruling party in a single-party state are allowed to debate policy, but once a decision has been reached by majority vote, all members are expected to abide by the decision
38
democratization
movements in society towards free, fair, and competitive elections of policy makers
39
developed country
a country with an industrial or post-industrial economy and a high standard of living
40
developing country
a country with an economy that has yet to fully industrialize
41
devolution
the process by which a government under a unitary system transfers power to sub-national governments
42
economic development
the measure of the social and economic progress of countries
43
electoral system
the system by which voters choose their representatives
44
electorate
voters as a group
45
empirical
information gained through observation
46
ethnic group (ethnicity)
a group of people who identify with each other due to a shared culture and/or language
47
executive power
the power to execute or enforce laws
48
fascism
a political ideology that advocates a political system in which the nation, or race, is seen as most important; not the individual nor even the people as a collective
49
federal system
a system of government in which some power of government ultimately rests in regional governments rather than in the central government
50
gerrymandering
the manipulation of electoral district boundaries for political purposes
51
GINI Index
a statistical measure of income inequality in a society
52
Glasnost
the Russian word for openness. Describes the policy of increased political openness seen near the end of the U.S.S.R.
53
Government
the people in charge of a territory at a given time
54
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
the value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year
55
Gubernatorial
of, or having to do with, governors
56
Head of government
usually the person in charge of the executive power
57
head of state
the representative of a country to the world. A largely ceremonial position in many systems
58
Human Development Index
a statistical measure of the development of a society based on levels of health, education, and standards of living
59
identity politics
politics based on membership in a particular interest group or segment of society rather than individualized self-interest
60
ideology
a set of ethical principles that help provide an outline of the proper ordering of society and explain how society should work
61
illiberal democracy
a system in which elections are not free, fair, or competitive, and/or political liberties are not respected
62
industrialization
the process of moving from an agricultural society to an industrial society
63
industrialized
describes a society in which mechanized production of goods is common
64
industrial society
a society with an economy based in the production of machine-made goods
65
interest groups
groups of people organized to support a particular cause
66
judicial power
the power to interpret the laws
67
legislation
laws passed by a legislature
68
legislative power
the power to make laws
69
legitimacy
the generally held belief that the government has the right to rule or exercies power
70
liberal democracy
free, fair, and competitive elections are held, and political liberties such as free speech and press are respected
71
liberalism
a political ideology that advocates individual autonomy, respect for civil liberties, and rapid progress
72
Magna Carta
the first document that limited the power of the English monarch
73
Majority
more than 50%
74
market economy
a governmental and political system in which the governent lets market forces, for the most part, control
75
minority
less than 50%
76
monarchy
a system of government with a hereditary ruler
77
multiparty system
a system in which more than two parties vie for real power within the political structure
78
nation
a large group of people with ties to a particular piece of land or area who share a unified identity based in a shared culture, history, and language. Normally, the term is only used when such groups have or desire a government of their own.
79
nation-state
a sovereign state largely populated by people who share a unified identity based in a shared culture, history, and language
80
newly-developed country
a country that has recently moved significantly toward an industrial economy, and as a result, has seen a significant rise in its standard of living
81
normative
relating to an ideal
82
oligarchy
rule by the few
83
patronage
the privileges a government grants to its supporters
84
patron-client relationships
the relationships seen in systems of clientelism, in which governments hand out privileges to supporters
85
parliamentary system
a system of government where the ministers who hold executive power are chosen from within the legislature and are accountable to it
86
perestroika
the Russian word for restructuring, used to describe the liberalization of government structures in the Soviet Union under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev
87
permanent crops
crops that need not be replanted after each harvest, such as coffee, olives, rubber, apples and oranges
88
public policy
the actions of a state regarding a particular issues
89
pluralist system
a system in which groups compete for influence and power
90
political accomodation
an informal agreement among a government and important interest groups, in response to the interest groups' concerns about government policy or program benefits
91
political capital
describes the power of government officials derived from their political popularity
92
political culture
the way a nation, or other group of people approaches issues of government and politics
93
political participation
any means used by the people to express their opinions, and perhaps, influence political events and/or government actions
94
political party
an organization created to get and maintain power, usually within a government
95
political recruitment
the process through which citizens of a country are chosen to be involved in politics
96
political socialization
the process by which people get their ideas about politics
97
post-industrial society
describes a society in which a large portion of the economy is engaged in providing services rather than industrial or agricultural production
98
presidentialism
describes a system of government in which the president wields extraordinary power and the legislative and judicial branches of government are subordinate to the president
99
presidential system
a system of government where the executive power is held in a separate branch of government from the legislative power
100
procedural democracy
a system under which elections are held and the institutions and processes of elected government appear to be in place but for any number of reasons, the results of those elections may not be reflective of the political views of the population
101
regime
the system, rules, and laws in place in a particular territory at a particular time
102
rentier state
a state that regularly derives a substantial portion of its revenues from payments by foreign concerns in the form of rent
103
referendum
a vote by an electorate on an issue referred to it by the government
104
republic
a system of government where the citizens elect their leaders
105
right to self-determination
the concept that nations have a right to choose which government will exercise sovereignty over them
106
secretarian
having to do with religion
107
semi-presidential system
a political system with a dual executive, usually a president and a prime minister
108
social capital
the social norms that lead to cooperation within and among groups in a society. Ex: When neighbors keep an eye on each others houses when the other neigbhor is out of town
109
socialism
a political ideology that advocates a political system in which the means of production and distribution and held in common, usually by the state
110
sovereignty
having independent legal authority over a particular territory, the legitimate power to rule and make laws for that territory
111
state
the territory (or one of the territories) under the control of a government
112
sub-national government
a regional or local government
113
substantive democracy
a system of government under which elections are held and the results are likely representative of the political views of the population
114
supranational organization
organizations consisting of a number of sovereign states
115
theocratic system or theocracy
a system of government under which a deity is seen as the supreme ruler or the entity in which ultimate sovereignty rests
116
totalitarian system
a system that seeks to forcibly control all fundamental aspects of state, society, and the economy
117
transparency
the open and public operation of government
118
under-developed country
a largely outdated term used to describe countries that have not fully industrialized
119
unitary system of government
a system in which all power ultimately rests in the hands of the central government
120
veto
the power to reject a piece of legislation
121
vetting
evaluating for possible approval or acceptance
122
vote of confidence
sometimes called "no confidence" votes. The means of removing the prime minister and cabinet from power
123
voter turnout
a way to describe the degree of participation of eligible voters in an election. Can be described as a raw number or as a percentage
124
wasted votes
votes cast that do not influence the outcome of an election
125
welfare state system
a governmental system under which the government directly or indirectly provides pensions, healthcare, unemployment insurance, and assistance to the poor and others in need

AP Comp (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions