ap gov chapter 1 vocab

Authority

The right to use power.

Bureaucratic view

View that the government is dominated by appointed officials.

Democracy

The rule of the many.

Direct (participatory) democracy

A government in which all or most citizens participate directly.

Elite

Persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like money or power.

Legitimacy

Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution.

Marxist view

View that the government is dominated by capitalists.

Power elite view

View that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside the government.

Pluralist view

The belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy.

Power

The ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions.

Power elite

A political theory espoused by C. Wright Mills which holds that an elite of corporate leaders, top military officers, and key political leaders make most political decisions.

Representative democracy

A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote.