Unit 2: Social Order, Governance, and Power Structures

Vocabulary flashcards covering social order, governance, state organization, ancient political systems, and power structures from Unit 2.

Nation-State

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality

city-state

A city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.

Multiethnic state

State that contains more than one ethnicity (ex. U.S.)

multinational state

State that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities.

colony

A group of people in one place who are ruled by a parent country elsewhere.

boundary

Invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory

frontier

A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.

Democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Autocracy

A system of government in which the power to rule is in the hands of a single individual

Unitary State

An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

Federal State

An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government.

Centripetal force

Forces that bring a nation together/push the people together.

Centrifugal Force

Forces that tear a nation apart/pull the people apart.

Race

A group of people who share physical characteristics

Ethnicity

A shared sense of identity or belonging to a group based on common cultural, ancestral, social, and historical factors, including language, traditions, religion, ancestry, and geographic origins

State

This refers to what you know as a country. A politically organized territory with a permanent population, standing army, ability to tax, defined territory, and a sovereign government, recognized by the international community.

Nation

A body of people having a common descent, history, culture, or language but without a separate or politically independent territory.

Legitimacy

The belief that a ruler, government, or system has the right to rule.

Traditional Legitimacy

The right to rule based on a society's long-standing patterns and practices

Charismatic Legitimacy

The right to rule based on the personality of an individual

Rational-Legal Legitimacy

The right to rule based on a widely accepted system of laws and procedures

Oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Republic

A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

Plebeians

The common people of ancient Rome

Patricians

The wealthy, hereditary aristocrats during the Roman era.

Tribunes

An officer of ancient Rome elected by the plebeians to protect their rights from arbitrary acts of the patrician magistrates.

Punic Wars

A series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (264-146 B.C.); resulted in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.

Consuls

Two officials from the patrician class were appointed each year of the Roman Republic to supervise the government and command the armies

Senate

In ancient Rome, the supreme governing body, originally made up only of aristocrats.

Aristocracy

The highest class in certain societies, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.

Helots

Spartan slaves

Persian Wars

A series of wars between the Greeks (mainly Athens) and the Persians in which the Greeks were usually victorious.

Qin Dynasty

(221-207 BCE) The first centralized dynasty of China that used Legalism as its base of belief.

Han Dynasty

(202 BCE-220 CE) This dynasty continued the centralization of the Qin Dynasty, but focused on Confucianism and education instead of Legalim.

Legalism

A Chinese philosophy that was devoted to strengthen and expand the state through increased agricultural work and military service.

Confucianism

A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. It shows the way to ensure a stable government and an orderly society in the present world and stresses a moral code of conduct.

Filial Piety

In Confucian thought, one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

Civil Service Exams

Confucian exam to acquire a position in the Chinese bureaucracy

Mandate of Heaven

A political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

Power

Ability to force or influence behavior, with or without consent.

Authority

The right to use power

Institutions

Durable organizations and rules through which power is exercised.

Change in government

A change in leaders, without fundamental changes in the system of government

Regime Change

A change in the fundamental rules and system of government

Mex Weber

German sociologist who studied bureaucracy and asserted that it is a disciplined hierarchy, which provides efficiency for government

Civil Society

Organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests

Civic Identity

Identity constructed when people are willing to submit to the laws of a common government rather than those of separate ethnic or religious groups

Consent of the Governed

The idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people.