Chapter 1 - Government

government

the institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies

public policies

all the things a government decides to do

legislative power

the power to make laws

executive power

the power to enforce and administer laws

judicial power

the power to interpret laws

dictatorship

a government in which all power rests with an individual or small group

democracy

a government in which supreme authority rests with the people

state

a body of people, living in a defined territory, with a government that can make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority

sovereign

to have supreme and absolute power within a territory

divine right

the theory that governments gain their authority from the will of God

autocracy

government in which a single person holds all political power

oligarchy

government in which a small, usually self-appointed group has the sole power to rule

unitary government

a government in which all power belongs to one central agency

federal government

a government in which power is divided between one central and several local governments

division of powers

the split of power between central and local governments

confederation

an alliance of independent states

presidential government

a government with separate executive and legislative branches

parliamentary government

a government in which the executive branch is part of the legislative branch and subject to its control

majority rule

the principle that the will of the majority controls the actions of government

compromise

the process of blending and adjusting competing views and interests

citizen

one who holds certain rights and responsibilities within a state

free enterprise system

an economic system characterized by the private ownership of capital goods, private investment, and a competitive marketplace that determines success or failure