Lecture Review Flashcards

Flashcards generated from lecture notes for exam preparation.

Majority Rule

The majority imposing their will on a minority group, potentially suppressing their rights and goals.

Tyranny of the Minority

Levitsky and Ziblatt argue that the bigger problem in the American system of governance is this, rather than tyranny of the majority.

Electoral College

A system where a candidate can win an election without winning the popular vote.

Counter-Majoritarian Institution

An institution that can limit majority rule and give minorities the ability to win.

Malapportionment

The Senate empowers minorities through this, where votes in smaller states have more weight than in larger states.

Supreme Court

A branch of government that can raise potential problems to democracy or problems with majority rule due to its power to strike down laws.

Life

Supreme Court justices are appointed for this, insulating them from public opinion.

Judicial Review

An action where courts strike down legislation, acting as unelected legislatures.

Filibuster

The blocking of a vote in the US Senate.

Filibuster Justification

The argument that the filibuster protects minority rights by preventing tyranny of the majority.

Minority Rule Critique

A key concept from Levitsky and Ziblatt, which states that America's counter-majoritarian institutions do not, in practice, protect minority rights.

Filibuster removal

Even though this is treated as a nuclear option, you can just get rid of it, because it doesn't require amending the constitution to change that.

Written Constitution

A counter-majoritarian institution that binds people to laws and principles established long ago.

Existing Power Structures

These shaped the constitution more than great ideas, according to Levitsky and Ziegler.

Threatened to Leave

The condition threatened by small states, like Connecticut, if their demands for representation were not met during the founding of the U.S.

Bitter Compromise

Compromises based on states threatening to leave unless they were appeased rather than part of some grand plan.