POLI100 Mid-Term Flashcards
What is a dictatorship?
A regime in which one person or one party hold all power. There are many types including personal, party, and military dictatorships. Some examples today are Gaddafi in Libya, the CPC in China, and Joseph Stalin after WWII. They typically hold their power through acts of power such as with the military or through rigging elections or the lack of elections. Dictatorships typically have a strong grasp over the media and use it to hide their party actions or to silence any opposition or outside influence. Any opposition is usually struck down swiftly by the regime but in some cases licensed opposition is allowed to exist, a political opposition that is allowed to operate but never wins.
Describe Conventional and non-conventional participation
Political participation is an important part of democracy. Political participation is used to influence decisions about leadership and policy in government. There are two kinds of political participation. Conventional and non conventional. Conventional participation includes elections and referenda. Nonconventional participation includes things like protests and boycotts. The affect of political participation depends on the ruling regime. It can prove quite effective in a liberal democracy but can prove deadly under a dictatorship.
Describe Classical Conservatism/ Toryism
Classical Conservatism, including Toryism, in an ideology proposed by Edmund Burke. There are three core tenants to it: the well being of the collectivity, hierarchy and elites, with some state intervention. Conservatism values tradition and isn’t open to rapid change, preferring slow gradual change if deemed neccesary. Conservatism relies heavily on respect of authority and also favours religious moral values. Conservatives tend to be opposed to allowing greater equality.
Describe Classical Liberalism
Classical Liberalism was created in response to the oppression from absolute monarchy. It is against the lack of free trade, forced religion, and treatment of certain social groups like the clergy. Classical liberalism expresses the importance of limited government and free market. It was created by John Locke under the beliefs that humans should naturally be free and that we only need a small amount of government influence to protect citizens rights to freedom. If the government does too much, Classical liberalism states that the government should be removed by the people.
Describe Classical Socialism
Socialsm was created in response to the exploitation of the working class under Capitalism. Socialism views people as inherently cooperative and sees the competitive nature of capitalism as problematic. Socialism looks at the power dynamic between the social classes rather than differences in individuals abilities. Socialism states that a more equal distribution of wealth and power will lead to a greater society where everyone is lifted up and not brought down. One of the biggest parts of socialism is that the working class controls the means of production, not a large private corporation.
Explain Direct vs Indirect democracy
Democracy can come in multiple forms, two of these forms are direct and indirect democracy. Direct democracy originates in Athens Greece over 2000 years ago. Citizens would come together to discuss governing decisions. These decisions would then be voted on by all men present. Slaves and women were excluded from the vote. Then if the vote passed it’d be put into practice. Indirect democracy involves citizens voting on representatives to make decisions on their behalf rather than the majority of citizens voting on each issue. Canada is a good example of an indirect democracy, since every four years Canadians elect members of the House of Commons.
Explain Hybrid Regimes
Hybrid regimes are neither completely democratic or authoritarian. Hybrid regimes may allow opponent political parties to hold slight power or they might have a judicial system that lacks independence which means the governing party can use it to trouble opponents. Most hybrid democracies tend to move towards a true democracy but that isn’t always the case. Fore example Vladimir Putins Russia was a hybrid democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union but has slipped further towards total authoritarianism.
What is ideology?
Ideology is the science of ideas. It can be used to enact social and political change that benefits the citizens of a nation. It can also be used to justify the horrendous acts of an authoritarian regime like the killing of millions of people by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Examples of political ideology are Socialism, Liberalism, and conservatism. Karl Marx describes ideology as an instrument of the ruling class used to justify exploitation under capitalism. This goes both ways as many capitalists have used ideology as a word to attack communism.
What is a Liberal Democracy?
A liberal democracy is a version of democracy that originated in Western societies. It is a democracy based on the idea of individual freedom. Liberal democracy is sometimes referred to as constitutional democracy because it is based on the rule of law. There are four principles of liberal democracy: 1.limits should be placed on what the government can do, 2.everyone has the freedom to express themselves how they want, even criticizing the government, 3. the government docent control the media, 4. and candidates and political parties are equally able to compete for political power.
Define the mixed-member proportional system
The mixed-member proportional system (MMP) is one of the three major types of electoral systems. This system involves a blending of elected candidates. The first being legislators being elected based on gaining the most votes in a certain area and the other being elected based on popular vote. Two countries that use this system are Germany and New Zealand.
Define politics
Politics are anything relating to collective decision making. Politics involve nearly everything we do. They involve here you and your friends may go to dinner, or they may influence the tone of a fast food commercial. Politics can be about much more serious topics such as who lives and who dies. The Greeks were some of the first to study politics and are the source of the name of the word. Their are many Greek philosophers who’s teachings on politics are relevant to this day.
What is the proportional representation system?
The PR system is a way that seats are given. Seats are given based off of the percentage of votes. The more representatives for each district the more closely the representatives will reflect the support for the parties. Some countries like the Netherlands and Slovakia count as one huge district so representatives don’t represent a specific area. PR systems usually end in coalition due to the accuracy of the reflection of the voters.
What are referenda and citizens initiatives?
Referenda are used to ask the citizens how they feel about a certain law or issue. Referenda are commonly used to impact the decision on a law. In BC the provincial government used a referenda to ask the citizens of BC if they would like ti change how the electoral process works. Quebec also famously used a referenda to ask its citizens if they wanted to issue a mandate on the sovereignty of Quebec to which 49% said yes. Citizens initiatives are when enough signatures have been gathered to bring an issue to the elctorate. BC allows citizens initiatives. If 10% of eligible voters vote on the initiative it will be heard. They have 90 days to gather the signatures.
What is a single-member plurality system?
SMP is a electoral system in which one party is chosen as the representative for a district. SMPs tend to give an unfair boost to the dominant party even if it is not representative to the voters wishes. An example of this is how only the conservative and liberal parties have governed Canada.
What are two core tenants of feminism?
Independence and equality for women. Independence meaning that women are no longer subservient to men and that they can live their own lives. Not having to live up to the expectations of a patriarchal society. Equality meaning that women are given the same opportunities as men and not treated any less. A common example of these tenants are how women are expected to bear children and keep the house clean and how women on average earn less than man even when working the same hours under the same position.
