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POL 14B | Introduction to American Government > Quiz 1 > Flashcards

Quiz 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Define and explain

politics as governance

A

definition: the art or science of government that deals with the form, organization, and administration of a state or part of a state, and with the regulation of its relations with other states

significance: the organization and operation of the government is essential for the purpose of carrying out its duties and responsibilities, its efficiency, and its response to the needs of its citizens

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2
Q

Define and explain

politics as power

A

definition: the process through which a society settles its conflicts

significance: understanding how certain figures rise to power is essential to understanding the organization of our society

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3
Q

List

root of conflict in American politics

A
  • founding of the United States
  • distribution of power
  • Constitution and its interpretation
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4
Q

List

sources/mediators of conflict in American politics

A
  • checks and balances
  • courts
  • political parties and elections
  • public opinion
  • mass media
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5
Q

Define and explain

government

A

definition: formal institutions through which a land and its people are ruled

significance: the way society organizes itself has been the study of countless scholars and is yet to be perfected

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6
Q

List

purposes of government

A
  • to supply benefits that require coordination and agreement
  • to establish and preserve the rights of its citizens
  • to secure liberty for all (or some)
  • to secure equality for all (or some)
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7
Q

List

explanations of government from political science

A
  • state of nature
  • social contract
  • collective action problem
  • tragedy of the commons
  • externalities
  • uncertainties and crises
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8
Q

Explain

Thomas Hobbes’s theory of the state of nature

A

individuals sacrifice some liberty for the protection of government

everybody would be at war with everyone without any protection

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9
Q

Explain

John Locke’s theory of the social contract

A

“all men” are born free and equal

people create government when law becomes inadequate

contract based on limited political authority and conditional on ruler’s fulfillment to serve public good

contract is rooted in popular sovereignty

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10
Q

Define and explain

public good

A

definition: a benefit that is non-excludable and non-depletable

significance: often undersupplied due to lack of market incentives

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11
Q

Define and explain

externalities

A

definition: “spillover effects” of private commercial activity

significance: the general public is most affected by externalities while lacking any influence over their negotiations

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12
Q

Define and explain

positive externalities

A

definition: when non-market actors enjoy benefits of market activity without paying for it

significance: the government wants to subsidize positive externalities because they are good for general population

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13
Q

Define and explain

negative externalities

A

definition: when non-market actors bear costs of market activity without compensation

significance: government wants to regulate/eliminate negative externalities because they are bad for general population

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14
Q

Define and explain

collective action problem

collective action dilemma

free-rider problem

A

definition: everybody wants benefits without paying for them without government

significance: government is unable to function without resources of its own to carry out its responsibilities – so somebody has to be willing to supply them

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15
Q

Explain

solution to collective action problem

A

governmental power can solve collective action problems through persuasion (selective benefits) or coercion (penalties)

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16
Q

Define and explain

tragedy of the commons

A

definition: the theory that people will use common resources to the point of depletion

significance: access to non-excludible but rivalrous resources leads to overconsumption and ultimately depletion of common resources to the detriment of everybody

solutions include imposition of private property rights, government regulation, or development of collective action arrangement

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17
Q

List

variances in governments

A
  • form/structure
  • distribution of power
  • constraints on state power
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18
Q

Define and explain

autocracy

A

definition: a system of government by one person with absolute power

significance: governments in control of one person without any limits on power often lack accountability on behalf of its citizens

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19
Q

Define and explain

oligarchy

A

definition: a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people

significance: oligarchies, similar to autocracies, greatly lack in accountability on behalf of their citizens

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20
Q

Define and explain

democracy

A

definition: system of government in which political power is vested in the people and citizens play a significant role in the governmental process

significance: democracies grant influence over their leaders, agendas, and functions to their citizens by fulfilling the concept of popular sovereignty

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21
Q

Define and explain

popular sovereignty

A

definition: the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives, who are the source of all political power

significance: the most fundamental quality of any democracy is the influence of its citizens over the inner-workings of a government

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22
Q

List

characteristics of democracies

A
  • popular sovereignty
  • equality
  • liberty
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23
Q

List

2 types of democracies

A
  • direct democracy (pure democracy)
  • representative democracy (republic)
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24
Q

List

2 dilemmas of representative democracy

A
  • trustees vs. delegates
  • principal-agent relationship
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25
Q

List

3 models of power distribution in democracies

A
  • elite model
  • pluralistic model
  • hyper-pluralistic model
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26
Q

Define and explain

elite model (of power distribution in democracies)

A

definition: the theory that a small minority, consisting of members of the economic elite and policy-planning networks, holds the most power—and that this power is independent of democratic elections

significance: built on premises that power is concentrated, elites are unified, the non-elites are diverse and powerless – fear for your lives!

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27
Q

Define and explain

pluralistic model (of power distribution in democracies)

A

definition: the theory that politics and decision-making are located mostly in the framework of government – but that many non-governmental groups use their resources to exert influence

significance: all of the rules of the game are already laid out, but outside forces are responsible for tipping the scale in certain directions

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28
Q

Define and explain

hyper-pluralistic model (of power distribution in democracies)

A

definition: theory that the government is unable to function properly when a large number of different groups or factions become so politically influential

significance: it is essential to prevent the rise of a monopoly on the political culture in order for the government to properly function

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29
Q

List

constraints on governmental power

A
  • constitutional
  • authoritarian
  • totalitarian
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30
Q

Define and explain

Constitutional constraints on power

A

definition: System of government with formal and effective limits on power

significance: citizens are ensured their clearly laid-out boundaries and know what to expect from their government

not all constitutional governments have constitutions

31
Q

Define and explain

authoritarian constraints on power

A

definition: system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on power — but, in practice, power can be constrained by other entities

significance: able to be constrained by other entities (such as armies, corporations, religious groups, etc.)

32
Q

Define and explain

totalitarian constraints on power

A

definition: system of rule where government recognizes no limits on power

significance: often involves trying to absorb anything that attempts to place a limit on power

33
Q

List

important guardrails on democracy

A
  • mutual toleration
  • forebearance
34
Q

Define and explain

mutual toleration

A

definition: tolerating political competitors

significance: opponents in political discourse mutually benefit from understanding that their interests are the same

35
Q

Define and explain

forebearance

A

definition: respect for institutions of a country

significance: opponents must agree on the fundamental rules of the game before competing with one another

36
Q

List

key indicators of authoritarian behavior

A
  • rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of game
  • denial of legitimacy of political opponents
  • tolerance or encouragement of violence
  • willingness to curtail civil liberties of opponents
37
Q

Define and explain

political culture

A

definition: broadly shared, characteristic, and deep-seated values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function

significance: political culture serves as the battleground for all discourse on the priorities, functioning, and efficiency of the government and its processes

38
Q

List

values that makeup American political culture

A
  • liberty
  • equality
  • popular sovereignty
  • individualism
39
Q

Explain

role of liberty in American political culture

A

spelled out in founding documents

probably most central of all American values

40
Q

Explain

role of equality in American political culture

A

flexible concept over time (applied to different groups at different times)

both an ideal and a lie

41
Q

Explain

role of popular sovereignty in American political culture

A

enlightened citizens practicing self-government

42
Q

Explain

role of individualism in American political culture

A

commitment to personal initiative and self-reliance

uniquely American

43
Q

List

4 problems of American values

A
  • principle policy paradox
  • clash of values
  • values are not guaranteed to all people at all times
  • differing interpretations/applications of values
44
Q

Identify

source of most conflicts in American political culture

A

clash of cultural values

45
Q

list

2 themes of American Revolution

A
  • collective action despite rationality
  • expected benefits outweigh expected costs
46
Q

list

characteristics of American political culture after American Revolution

A
  • little sense of national unity
  • intense distrust of a strong central government
  • economic divisions among the states
47
Q

Define and explain

Articles of Confederation

A

definition: first written US Constitution that established a confederation of equal states and lasted from 1781 to 1787

significance: failed due to lack of independent judiciary and executive branch but provided many lessons for drafting our current Constitution

48
Q

List

governmental powers in the Articles of Confederation

A
  • making war and peace
  • making and signing treaties
  • spending money
  • regulating trade with Native Americans
49
Q

List

weaknesses of government in the Articles of Confederation

A
  • no taxation
  • limited protection from foreign and domestic threats
  • inability to regulate commerce
  • inability to raise revenue
  • inability to deal with state competition
  • collective action problem
50
Q

Define and explain

Shay’s Rebellion

A

definition: an armed uprising in Massachusetts in opposition to the state government’s increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades in the midst of a debt crisis amongst the citizenry

significance: exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and led toward a shift in thinking on the power of the federal government when drafting the current Constitution

51
Q

Identify

social class of 1787 Constitutional Convention

A

elites (wealthy and educated white men)

52
Q

List

conflicting interests at 1787 Constitutional Convention

A
  • property (slavery)
  • representation
53
Q

List

goals of 1787 Constitutional Convention

A
  • solve collective action problem among states
  • create a government more compatible with economic interests
  • find compromise to advance new structure of government
54
Q

Explain

difference between federalists and anti-federalists

A

the federalists favored a Constitution with a strong central government

the anti-federalists favored a Constitution that promoted strong state governments

55
Q

Explain

the “great compromise” of the 1787 Constitutional Convention

A

the Virginia Plan would have created a legislature with representation in proportion to each state’s population or revenue contribution (good for big states)

the New Jersey Plan would have created a legislature with equal representation of each state without regard for population or revenue contribution (good for small states)

the Connecticut Compromise created a bicameral legislature with an upper house (Senate) and a lower house (House of Representatives) to combine the interests of big and small states

56
Q

Explain

three-fifths compromise

A

agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention over the counting of slaves (as three-fifths of 1 person) in determining a state’s total population

57
Q

List

key elements of constitution

A
  • compromise between competing interests
  • marriage of interest and principle
  • government based on popular consent
  • separation of powers and federalism prevent the abuse of power
  • vague language allows for flexibility
  • Bill of Rights protects liberty
58
Q

Define and explain

Bill of Rights

A

definition: first ten amendments of the Constitution

significance: protects the liberty of citizens

written to address concerns of anti-federalists

59
Q

Define and explain

tyranny of the majority

A

definition: an inherent weakness to majority rule in which the majority of an electorate pursues exclusively its own objectives at the expense of those of the minority factions

significance: causes certain people to face punishment or unfair treatment because their situation is different from the situation of most of the people in a democratic country

60
Q

List

means of opposing tyranny

A
  • pluralism
  • separation of powers
  • federalism
61
Q

Explain

structure of US government as laid out in US Constitution

A

Article 1 creates the legislative branch

Article 2 creates the executive branch

Article 3 creates the judicial branch

62
Q

List

reasons for separation of power

A
  • tyranny of the minority
  • tyranny of the majority
  • balancing minority rights with majority rights
  • preventing tyranny
63
Q

Define and explain

necessary and proper clause

elastic clause

A

definition: the clause in Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution that empowers the Congress to make all laws necessary for executing its other powers and those of the federal government as a whole

significance: broad interpretation used to significantly expand power of federal government over states and legislative branch over executive branch

64
Q

Define and Explain

10th Amendment

A

definition: 10th amendment to Bill of Rights which states that the federal government has only those powers delegated to it by the Constitution and that all other powers not forbidden to the states by the Constitution are reserved to each state

significance: limits the federal government to work within confines of US Constitution and significantly expands power of states

65
Q

Define and explain

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

A

decision: American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes that they find to violate the Constitution of the United States

significance: principle of judicial review emerges from this decision even though it is not explicit in Constitution

66
Q

List

provisions of Constitution related to federalism

A
  • Commerce Clause
  • Necessary and Proper Clause
  • 10th Amendment
  • Full Faith and Credit Clause
  • Comity Clause
67
Q

Define

enumerated powers

A

powers laid out for the federal government

68
Q

Define

concurrent powers

A

things both state and federal government can do

69
Q

Define

denied powers

A

things that state and federal government cannot do

70
Q

Define

implied powers

A

powers assumed by federal government from the Necessary and Proper Clause

71
Q

Explain

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A

asked “can Maryland tax a central bank?”

created principle of implied powers

leads to growth of federal government over time

72
Q

Explain

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

A

asked “can one state tell another state that a steamboat cannot operate in waters between states?”

gave federal government power to regulate interstate navigation

73
Q

Explain

Wickward v. Filburn (1942)

A

asked “are acreage restrictions in violation of limits on Congressional power?”

decided that government is allowed to regulate how much crop you grow

reasoned that growing your own wheat causes you not to buy wheat from market – so it indirectly related to commerce clause

POL 14B | Introduction to American Government (2 decks)

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