Unit 1

Question 1

Why?

Answer 1

To live with 8 billion people on one planet

Question 2

What?

Answer 2

Politics in Nation States

Question 3

How?

Answer 3

Based on norms and values
Through a social contract

Question 4

Who?

Answer 4

Individuals
Collectives
Actors
Institutions

Question 5

What is politics about?

Answer 5

POLITICS IS ABOUT THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE STATE AND SOCIETY

Question 6

What is Power

Answer 6

Power is the ability to influence the actions of others or the outcome of events

Question 7

What is Authority

Answer 7

Authority is the power that comes from a certain position.

Question 8

Sources of power and authority

Answer 8

• Religions
• Military forces
• Political parties • Legislatures
• Popular support

Question 9

Political Legitimacy

Answer 9

The right to govern, passed down by law and/or tradition and/or production (i.e. elections in the U.K., Chinese Meritocracy).

Question 10

Political Systems

Answer 10

Political systems comprise the laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to rule and what the government’s influence on its people and economy.

Question 11

State

Answer 11

A state is an independent political entity with clear geographic boundaries

Question 12

Nation

Answer 12

A nation is a large population that shares the same culture, language, traditions, and history…

Question 13

Need for nation state/nation

Answer 13

❏ National Identity
❏ Borders
❏ Single Government

Question 14

Political Organizations - States

Answer 14

States are political organizations that combine
1. a permanent population with
2. governing institutions to
exercise control over a
3. defined territory with
4. international recognition.

Question 15

Political Organizations - Regimes

Answer 15

• Regimes are a set of fundamental rules that
- • control access to political power
- • and exercise of political power
• Regimes typically endure from government to government.
• A regime can be characterized as democratic or authoritarian based on how it sets rules or makes decisions about how to exercise power.

Question 16

Political Organizations - Governments

Answer 16

• A government is
• the set of institutions (or individuals) • legally empowered
• to make binding decisions for a state.
• A government’s authority is derived from the state’s legitimate right to use power to enforce policies and decisions.

Question 17

Democratic and an authoritarian regime are regimes:

Answer 17

• fundamental rules that control access to and the exercise of political power.
• Regimes typically endure from government to government

Question 18

Democracies

Answer 18

• Independent branches (see illustration) are more likely.
• Less concentration of power (in small group). This creates:
• accountability
• more citizen participation • more transparency
• Political Efficacy
• Free media creates
• transparency and accountability

Question 19

Authoritarian Regimes

Answer 19

A system of government where power is invested in a small group of people who exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.

Types of authoritarian regimes
• Illiberal democracy or hybrid regimes (Russia)
• Has elections, but are not free fair or competitive (miss democratic elements such as free media or participation in government)
• One Party State (China)
• One political party that controls government of
regime
• Theocracy (Iran)
• Religious leaders play a very important role and government
• Decisions are made based on predominant religion
• Totalitarian government
• Total control over governmental decision making
and private life (no example in AP 6- think Nazis) • Military regime
• Military leader runs government (Nigeria in past, prior to 1999)