Politics Exam Review Flashcards

Flashcards for vocabulary review based on lecture notes.

Politics

The exercise of power and influence on matters that affect the community.

Governmental Level of Politics

Constitutional rules, institutions, and officials that have formal legal responsibilities for making public policy

Politics

The exercise of power and influence on matters that affect the community.

Governmental Level of Politics

Constitutional rules, institutions, and officials that have formal legal responsibilities for making public policy

Political Level of Politics

Political culture, political opinion, political parties, media, interest groups

Social Level of Politics

Ways in which people conduct themselves what goods and services they produce cultural characteristics

Ubiquitous

seemingly everywhere, almost everything is subject to governmental control or regulation

Expansive Nature of Government

Functions, costs, and personnel of the government are constantly growing.

Varied Nature of Government

Numerous types of government structures exist

Necessary Nature of Government

Governments exist because of what they do for society.

Multiple Nature of Government

Each citizen is subject to a number of governments and governmental units.

Typology

A classification scheme for government systems

Autocratic

An elite group that follows a specific doctrine and has absolute power. Its political system is exclusionary to average citizens.

Republican (Democratic)

focuses on capitalist principles where the middle class is widely involved. It has a mix of multiple different ideologies and is based on elections.

Totalitarian

elite group who follows the same ideology, that is focused around a singular political party (although it might not present as so), and who relies on the participation of many.

Unitary System

A system in which one central authority makes decisions for all regions of the country.

Federal System

Decision making is shared between a national government and local or regional governments.

Mature Federation

Strong, well developed, integrated financially/economically.

Conciliatory Federation

Comprising a system that allocates resources between…

Centralized Federation

On paper it is federalized, but runs more unitary

Devolution

When a unitary state creates regional parliaments that are not constituted. It is used to transfer power to smaller, more localized regions of power from a large, central government.

Parliamentary System

The head of a state or formal executive has relatively limited political power, and political executives have majority of political power.

Presidential System

The structure of the executive is unified/singular.

Political Science

The systematic study of government and politics. It incorporates studies about the politics of individual countries at the local, regional, and national levels, as well as comparative studies of countries and the field of international relations.

Political Theory vs. Practice

states that things that are supposed to happen don't always happen (plan vs follow through)

Political Custom and Convention

rooted in traditions, not always written down

Time and Political Change

history has repetitive patterns; time changes and influences, right vs wrong, appropriate vs inappropriate

Legal vs. Political Decisions

based off of laws catching up with politics sometimes, law is slower moving decisions vs political which is quick paced

Political Socialization Process

rests on the assumption that the initial learning of political values and ideas in childhood and adolescence influences (to a greater or lesser extent) the later political values and behaviours of adults

Ideology

the science of ideas

Dominant Ideologies

the prevailing mindsets that assert themselves in the social and governing system

Counter Ideologies

advance reforms and radical change in society

Rule of Law

limit government power by proclaiming the supremacy of laws; ensures the legal equality of all individuals; protects the rights of people from arbitrary interference by officials

Responsible Government

principle that all government officials are accountable to the people and can only rule by their consent

Civil Liberties

the freedom of thought, expression, association, religion and the press

Constitutionalism

by means of a charter, social contract, or convention; outlines, defines and limits the exercise of governmental power by law

Individualism

the chief function of government is to foster the well-being of each person and permit them to reach their fulfilment

Majority Rule

public decisions are weighted in favour of the greater number of citizens

Popular Sovereignty

source of all government and public authority flows from the people

International Cooperation

called for the reduction / elimination of all trade barriers, tariffs, quotas, and other instruments of economic protection in order to foster international interaction

Conservatism

birth of usually associated with Burke and “Reflections on the French Revolution” (1791)

Classical Conservatism

Human nature is essentially selfish requiring the restraint of coercive governmental powers in order to tame the natural tendencies of people to satisfy their needs at the expense of others in society

Neo Conservatism

relates to the conservative element responding to societal changes of the '60s through to the '80s

Tyrannies

Governments dominated by an absolute civilian or military ruler who holds unchecked power, often in a repressive and personalized manner.

Dynastic Regime

A regime where power is concentrated within a ruling family, passed down through inheritance.

Caesarism

a military or authoritarian leadership with complete personal control

Military Regime

governments in which the armed forces control political power, either directly or through a junta (a group of officers).

Divine Source of Legitimate Authority

political and legal authority is divine in its authority

Single-Party Regime

A regime where one political party controls the government and other parties are banned or marginalized.

Caudillismo

A Latin American form of Caesarism, where the leader gains power through personal charisma, military strength, and populism.

Anarchism

philosophical opposition to authority — social, political, and economic

Command Economy

centrally controlled in which most means of production are owned and planned by the state

Deterministic Theory of History

historical events follow a necessary, logical sequence of development

Marxism-Leninism

dictatorship of the proletariat would become dictatorship over the proletariat

Socialism

an ideology articulated by democratic as well as nondemocratic groups

Socialist Philosophy

contemporary manifestations of socialism can be drawn more directly to the utopian socialists

Capitalism

an economic system where the invisible hand of competition drives supply and demand in a free market economy

Social Democracy

a political ideology that blends elements of socialism and democracy

Stalinism

The totalitarian form of communism under Joseph Stalin. Characterized by forced collectivization, a command economy, censorship, a cult of personality, and the infamous Reign of Terror. A distortion of Marxism.

Mixed Economy

combines elements of both market-based capitalism and government intervention (socialism). It allows for private enterprise and market forces, while the government plays a role in regulating industries, providing public goods and services, and addressing social welfare issues.

Debt

In politics, public or national debt is used to fund programs or wars.

Coup d’etat

The sudden overthrow of a government, usually by a small group (often military).

Liberty

Freedom of speech, conscience, and action, as long as it doesn’t harm others

Deficits

Government spending more than it earns in revenue.

Modern Conservatism

A term highlighting a blend of classical conservative values (tradition, limited government) with elements of free-market economics, religious values, and often nationalism.

Neo-Conservatism

A 20th-century conservative response to social changes of the 1960s–80s, stressing traditional family, strong state, and free-market economics, while opposing government dependency.

Utopian

Visionary or idealistic, often impractical, tries to create perfect societies through cooperation.

Electoral College

A system where electors that are chosen by each state and formally elect the president and vice-president of the U.S.

American Cabinet

A group of senior officials appointed by the president who serve as advisers and heads of executive departments

Vice-President

The second-highest executive officer who serves as the president’s deputy.

Filibuster

A tactic used in the Senate where a member prolongs debate indefinitely, preventing a bill from coming to a vote.

Cloture

A procedure to end a filibuster, requiring a three-fifths majority (60 out of 100 Senators) to force a vote.

Impeach

The formal process by which the House of Representatives brings charges against a government official, such as the President.

Mixed Economy

A mixed economy combines elements of both market-based capitalism and government intervention (socialism).

Social Democracy

A blending of elements of capitalist economies combines with government regulation, planning, and intervention.

Elitism

a pattern in decision making in which “small groups of people exercise considerable power”

Regionalism

both a cause and consequence of the regional political cultures producing different political cultures across the country.

Dualism

impact of the relationship between Canada’s major cultural groups

Continentalism

reflects importance of external factors (i.e.: U.S. government, economy, and culture)

Fake News

a tool of manipulation and propaganda

Critical Mass

size, location, population, natural resources

International Law

rejects the use of war as a means of settling disputes

Government

commitment to freedom, human rights, and democracy, and the quality of political institutions

Education

the level of human capital in a country, contribution to scholarship, and attractiveness to international students

Enterprise

the attractiveness of a country’s economic model, business friendliness, and capacity for innovation

Digital

a country’s digital infrastructure and its capabilities in digital diplomacy

State

A legal/political entity with a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the ability to enter relations with other states

Nation-State

Has a deliberate political design that has official languages, creates uniform systems of law, manages a single currency, etc.

Nationalism

An ideology centered on the interests and culture of one's nation, often placing it above others.

Unilateral

actions that are made by one state independently, without the agreement or participation of other states

Bilateral

involving two parties typically two countries in agreements or negotiations

Doctrine of Sovereignty

The principle that a state has authority and independence to govern itself without external interference.

LDCs

term for nations with low levels of industrialization

Hard Power

the use of military and economic ways to influence interests

Soft Power

the ability to shape the preferences

Might Makes Right

When those w/ power are right

Kill chain

The spread of power from other authorities

The International System

An economic and political community made up of state and non-state actors

Civic Nationalism

Based on shared values, law and institutions

IGOs

Composed groups of sovereign states working cooperatively for same purposes

NGOs

Organizations that are not controlled by the government and thus feature civil societies

Trans-National Groups and movements

The world major religions that tend to assert a movement of a signaficant influence on worlds and it's people and they participate in an internet's of global affecting government behavior