APCOGO Unit 3 Vocab

Social Class

Social Class

A group of people who perceive themselves as sharing a social status based on a common level of wealth, income, type of work, or education.

Race

A group of people socially defined mainly on the basis of one or more perceived common physical characteristics. It’s based on perception rather than scientific differences.

Ethnic Group

A people that are defined by a common ethnicity or culture

Political Cleavage

A division based on different ideas about the role of government and goals in policymaking

Social Cleavage

Citizens being divided along the lines of ethnicity, class, religion, and language

Social Movement

A large group organized to advocate for political change.

Civil Rights

Positive actions taken by the government to prevent people from being discriminated against when engaging in fundamental political actions such as voting.

Civil Liberties

Individual rights protected by law from unjust governmental or other interference.

Terrorism

Political violence or the threat of violence that deliberately targets civilians to influence the behavior and actions of the government

Political Violence

Violence which is perpetrated in order to achieve political goals. It can include violence by a state against another state, by a state against its civilians, or by non-state actors against the state and /or civilians, oftentimes violent actors use the violence and force to secure legitimacy. 

Protest

Public demonstrations against a policy or in response to an event.

Informal Political Participation

Protest, civil disobedience, and political violence, including terrorism. 

Formal Political Participation

Voting in elections and on referendums, contacting government officials, joining political groups, working on a campaign, and donating money to a cause or candidate.

Coercion

A government’s use of force or threats to pressure people into engaging in political activities that support the regime.

Populism

“For the people” approach; strives to appeal to the typical citizen rather than the influential and wealthy “elites”

Totalitarianism

Form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regulation over public and private life.

Fascism

A political ideology relying on a strong sense of nationalism in order to support authoritarianism. The ethnic and political majority are favored, while minorities are oppressed, leading to severe restrictions on civil rights and liberties, and resulting in a strong authoritarian rule.

Socialism

A political ideology between neoliberalism and communism. Economic equality is a core value of socialism, along with the belief that government ownership of the major means of production is a way to reduce income inequality within the state. In a socialist state, private individuals own property and most businesses, but key industries, such as steel, coal, energy, and telecommunications may be nationalized. 

Communism

A political ideology that advocates state ownership of all property, with the government exercising complete control over the economy

Neoliberalism

A political approach heavily focused on the economy, specifically: supporting and expanding free markets, reducing trade barriers, privatizing businesses, etc. Neoliberals often believe government intervention in the economy is harmful 

Political Ideology

An individual’s set of beliefs and values about government, politics and policies.

Individualism

The belief that people should be free to make their own decisions and that the government should not unnecessarily regulate individual behavior or restrict civil liberties.

Postmaterialism

When a country is economically well, citizens are less concerned about economic issues and more about quality of life issues. Some examples of this would be human rights, civil rights, and moral values.

Political Socialization

The process through which an individual learns about politics and is taught about society’s common political values and beliefs

Political Culture

Widely held attitudes, values, and beliefs about government and politics.

Civil Society

The ability of citizens to form groups outside of the government’s control.

Asymmetrical federalism

A system in which some regions have more formal power and autonomy than others

Duma

The lower house of the Russian parliament who are directly elected. They represent the people and have the power to pass laws, confirm the PM, and begin the impeachment process of the president.

Federation Council

The upper house of the Russian legislature. It represents it’s constituent entities (regions, republics, territories, autonomous areas, and federal cities) using  2 senators for each. From both of the senators, one is appointed by the legislature within that region and the other is appointed by the person who is the head of that regional executive branch (ie. governor). They approve federal laws, help manage the Russian Armed Forces, and confirm (and have the power to reject) appointments made by the Russian President.

Rentier State

A state that relies on the export of oil or from the leasing of resources to foreign entities as a significant source of government revenue.

Resource Curse

When a country is plentiful in a valuable natural resource such as oil, minerals, etc. This abundance in one economy driving item causes there to be a lack of diversity within the economy, limiting their trade possibilities, and causes the government's revenue to be dependent on the current status of the world market. This situation is often accompanied by increased corruption and government ignorance towards issues of the citizens.