Unit 1 Flashcards
Government
an institution through which leaders exercise power to make and enforce laws affecting the people under its control.
Functions of a Government:
-Protection of individual rights
-Providing economic security
-Molding character of citizens
-Promoting religion
-Providing military security
-Promoting the spread of information
Nation
a sizable group of people who believe themselves united by common bonds of race, language, and custom, or religion.
Country
-a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government (has the same definition as a state)
-they also have sovereignty – absolute authority within territorial boundaries
State
a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government; has a population, boundaries, sovereignty, and a government.
Types of Power (List)
-Legitimate or Formal Authority
-Expert
-Referent/Persuasive or Charismatic
-Reward
-Coercive
Types of Power: Legitimate or Formal Authority
-created by the rules of an organization
-the system is created with a set leader that has been chosen to have power based on their position
Ex: teachers, administrators, CEO’s, parents
Types of Power: Expert
-Power is given to an individual who has been in that situation before. They have needed knowledge or a special skill set needed to complete the task
Types of Power: Referent/Persuasive or Charismatic
Power is given through admiration or the all-over attractiveness to the person in charge.
Types of Power: Reward
This power comes from the ability to give someone rewards or giving something that the follower wants and needs
Types of Power: Coercive
-Fear-based
-this power comes from the leader having the ability to punish those that do not adhere to their wants.
Main Systems of Government (+ definitions)
-Unitary System: gives all key powers to the central government
-Confederal System: A loose union of sovereign states. (The US under the Articles of Confederation)
-Federal System: Divides the power of government between the national government and subunits like states
Monarchy
-A system of government where power belongs to a ruling family
-Power is obtained by heredity (birthright)
-Power is justified by Divine Right: God has given this family the authority to rule
-Monarchs are often called King/Queen, Emperor, Empress
Absolute Monarchy
-Referred to as Absolutists
-The rulers have total authority of the government
-Citizens have very few rights and cannot question it.
Limited Monarchy
-Power of the monarch is limited by a constitution and or parliament (Sometimes called a constitutional monarchy)
-Citizens have more rights than in an absolutist state
-Some monarchs have no real power at all and are figureheads.
Democracy
-Originated in ancient Greece
-A system of government where power comes from the people
-Power is usually taken through peaceful means in the form of voting by the people.
Direct Democracy
-A form of democracy where all citizens vote on all matters
-This is not practical in large countries with millions of people
-This system works best in small groups or even corporations
Ex: Switzerland
Representative (Democratic) Democracy
-Citizens elect representatives who will then, in turn, vote on the matters on the citizen’s behalf
-Ex: The United States
-Advantages = everyone has a voice
-Disadvantages = those who support a candidate that loses will not always feel represented
Totalitarianism
-A system of government where the rulers have total unchecked control of the nation and control nearly all parts of its citizens’ lives
-Citizens have only the rights that the ruler chooses to give them which means very few rights (if any at all)
-This type of power is usually taken by force
-Legal system is also heavily punitive
-Found in dictatorships and oligarchies
Ex: North Korea and Cuba; Ex: Hitler controlled Germany, Stalin in USSR, and Mussolini in Italy
Dictatorship
-A form of government where the nation is ruled by one ruler
-Is a form of totalitarianism
-Power is taken by force and requires military support
-At the end of the leader’s period of rule (death, resignation, or overthrow), violence usually occurs in the nation
Same examples as Totalitarianism
Oligarchy
-A system of government where a group of people rule and have power to serve their own interests
-Power could be identified by royalty, wealth, family ties, education, corporate, race or military control
-Power is usually passed from generation to generation
Ex: South Africa with apartheid (10% of white Africans controlled all of the nation)
Theocracy
-A form of government based on religious law that is typically ruled by a religious council such as clerics
-Laws are traditionally based on the holy books
-Punishments for violating laws are usually harsh
-Is most common in the Middle East (Iran, Saudi Arabia)
Ex: Vatican City, Ancient Egypt
Principles of a Democracy:
-Limited Government: government only has the power that it’s been given to it by the people
=Under the Constitution, the “governed” (the people) give their “consent” (approval) or show disapproval by voting
=The choices made by the people are what gives the government the ability to act on the people’s behalf
-Separation of Powers: Divides the roles of government into 3 branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, so that one person or one group of people does not control everything and become too powerful
-Three Branches of Government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
Key Features of our Democracy:
-Popular Sovereignty: A government in which the people rule, based on the idea of classical liberalism meaning people participate by VOTING and the majority wins. EX: People can run for office, campaign for individuals who run, or protest decisions made by others.
-Republicanism: People vote for people to represent their views and who share similar beliefs (Representative Government) because can’t have the whole population vote on everything
-Individual Rights: People are born with personal liberties and privileges that cannot be taken away. The Bill of Rights (the first Ten Amendments) was created to list out all of these rights so people know when the government tries to take them away
-Rule of Law: Everybody has to follow the same laws, even members of the government. EX: If a Representative killed a man, he/she would face a trial just like everybody else
-Checks and Balances: Each of the 3 branches of government has some control (check) on the other 2, thus balancing the power and ensuring that none of them get out of control. Ex: Federal judges are nominated by the President, but have to be approved by Congress. Ex: – the Supreme Court can rule a law passed by the Executive Branch as unconstitutional
-Federalism: A system of government in which powers are shared by the state and national government. In our system, the national government does have ultimate authority, but states have input, as well
