US Government Week 1 Vocab words

Anarchy

the condition of no government

aristocracy

rule by the best, in reality, rule by the members of the upper class

authoritarianism

a type of regime in which only the goverment itself is fully controlled by the ruler.
Social and economic institutions are not under the goverments control.

authority

the right and power of a government or other entity to enforce its decisisions

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the US. Constitution

capitalism

an econmic system characterized by the private ownership of wealth creating assests, free markets, and freedom of contract

civil liberties

those personal freedoms, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech. That are protected for all individuals.
The civil liberties set forth in the US Constitiution, as amended restrain the government from taking certain actions against indiviuals

consent of the people

the idea that goverments and laws derive their legitimacy from the consent of the goverened

conservatism

a set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government in helping individuals, support for traditional ideals and life choices, and a cautious reponse to change

conservative movement

an american movement that arose in the 1950s that provided a comprehensive ideological framework for conservative politics

democracy

a system of government in which political authority is vested in the people,
the term is derived from the greek words demos (the people) and kratos (authority)

democratic republic

a republic in which representatives elected by the people make and enfore laws and policies

direct democracy

a system of government in which political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives.: probably attained most easily in small political communities

elite theory

a perspective holding that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to further their self interests

equality

as a political value, the idea that all people are of equal worth

government

the preemient institution within society in which decisions are made that resolve conflicts and allocate benefits and privileges, it is unique because it has the ultimate authority for making these decisions.

hispanic

a term used by the federal governement to describe someone who can claim a heritage from a spanish speaking country

ideology

a comprehensive set of beliefs about the nature of people and about the role of an institution or government

initiative

a procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment

institution

an ongoing organization that preforms certain functions for society

latino

an alertnate word for Hispanic, now more widely used, feminine is latina

legislature

a governmental body primarily responsible for the making of laws

legitimacy

popular acceptance of the right and power of a goverment or other entitiy to exercise authority

liberalism

a set of beliefs that includes the advocacy of positive government action to improve the welfare of individuals, support for civil rights, and tolerance for political an social change

libertarianism

a political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward the most government activities

liberty

the greatest freedom of the individual that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society

limited government

a government with powers that are limited either through a written document or through widely shared beliefs

majoritarianism

a political theory holding that, in a democracy, the government ought to do what the majority of the people want

majority

more than 50 percent

majority rule

a basic principle of democracy asserting that the greatest number of citizen in any political unit should select officials and determine policies

oligarchy

rule by a few

order

a state of peace and security. Maintaining order by protecting members of society from violence and criminal activity is one of the oldest purposes of government

pluralism

a theory that views polotics as a conflict among interest groups. Political decision making is characterized by compromise and accommodation

political culture

a patterned set of ideas, values, and ways of thinking about government and politics that characterize a people

political socialization

the process by which political beliefs and values are transmitted to new immigrants and our children.
the family and the educational system are the most important sources of the political socialization process

politics

the process of resolving conflicts and deciding “who gets what, when and how”
more specifically, politics is the struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups that can grant benefits or privileges

popular sovereignty

the concept that ultimate political authority is based on the will of the people

progressive

a popular alternative to the term liberal

property

anything that is or may be subject to ownership. As conceived by the political philospopher John Locke, the right to property is a natural right superior to human law (laws made by government)

recall

a procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from state office before their term has expired

referendum

an electoral device whereby legistlative or constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters for approval or disapproval

representative democracy

a form of government in which representatives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies: may retain the monarchy in ceremonial role

republic

a form of government in which soverign power rests with the people rather than with a king or monarch

socialism

a political ideology based on strong support from economic and social equality, socialist traditionally envisioned a society in which major businesses were taken over by the government or by employee cooperatives

theocracy

“rule by god” or the gods: in practice, rule by religous leaders typically self appointed

total fertility rate

a statistic that measures the average number of children that women in a given group are expected to have over the course of a lifetime

totalitarian regime

a form of government that controls all aspects of the political social and economic life of a nation

universal suffrage

the rights to all adults to vote for their government representatives