AP COMP GOV 🇨🇳🇷🇺🇬🇧 REVIEW

Constitutional Monarchy

A system where the monarch is the ceremonial head of state with limited powers defined by an unwritten constitution

Parliamentary Democracy

The political system where the legislature (Parliament) selects the executive (Prime Minister)

Unwritten Constitution

The UK governing document is not a single text but a collection of acts common law and conventions

Magna Carta

The 1215 document that first limited the power of the monarch and established the rule of law

Bill of Rights 1689

Document establishing the supremacy of Parliament over the monarch and basic civil rights

Common Law

Legal system based on custom and court rulings (precedent) rather than codified laws

Unitary State

A system where political power is concentrated in the central government in London

Devolution

The transfer of some powers from the central government to regional parliaments in Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland

Fusion of Powers

A feature of parliamentary systems where the executive and legislative branches are intermingled

Cabinet Government

System where executive power is held by the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister

Prime Minister (UK)

The Head of Government and leader of the majority party in the House of Commons

Head of State (UK)

The Monarch (currently King Charles III) who reigns but does not rule

Collective Responsibility

The doctrine that all cabinet members must publicly support government decisions or resign

Vote of No Confidence

A parliamentary vote which if lost by the government forces the PM to resign or call an election

Parliamentary Sovereignty

The principle that Parliament can make or unmake any law and has supreme legal authority

House of Commons

The elected lower house of Parliament with the most legislative power

House of Lords

The appointed upper house of Parliament that reviews and amends legislation but cannot permanently veto it

Life Peers

Members of the House of Lords appointed for life based on merit or service

Hereditary Peers

Members of the House of Lords who inherited their titles (limited to 92 seats)

Speaker of the House

Non-partisan MP who presides over debates in the House of Commons

Whips

MPs responsible for enforcing party discipline and ensuring members vote according to party lines

Backbenchers

MPs who do not hold government or shadow cabinet office and sit in the back rows

Frontbenchers

MPs who hold a cabinet or shadow cabinet position and sit in the front rows

Shadow Cabinet

Senior members of the opposition party who critique the government and propose alternative policies

Question Time

A weekly session where MPs question the Prime Minister holding them accountable

Royal Assent

The formal approval of an act of Parliament by the Monarch (now a formality)

First-Past-The-Post (FPTP)

The electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins the seat

Single Member District (SMD)

An electoral district that returns one officeholder to a body with multiple members

Hung Parliament

A situation where no single political party has an absolute majority of seats in Parliament

Coalition Government

When two or more parties join forces to form a majority in Parliament (e.g. Conservatives and Lib Dems in 2010)

Minority Government

A government formed by a party that does not have a majority of seats often relying on support from smaller parties

Conservative Party (Tories)

The main center-right party favoring free markets tradition and currently Brexit

Labour Party

The main center-left party favoring social welfare public services and worker's rights

Liberal Democrats

A center/center-left party advocating for civil liberties and proportional representation

SNP (Scottish National Party)

A regional party advocating for the independence of Scotland

Plaid Cymru

The nationalist political party of Wales

Sinn Fein

Irish republican party in Northern Ireland that abstains from taking its seats in Westminster

DUP (Democratic Unionist Party)

Conservative unionist party in Northern Ireland

UKIP

Right-wing populist party focused on removing the UK from the European Union

Third Way

Tony Blair's centrist policy mixing free markets with social justice (New Labour)

Thatcherism

Political ideology of Margaret Thatcher emphasizing free markets privatization and self-reliance

Neoliberalism

Economic ideology favoring free markets privatization and reduced government spending

Collectivist Consensus

Post-WWII era where major parties agreed on the welfare state and mixed economy

Welfare State

Government system protecting citizens' health and well-being (e.g. NHS benefits)

NHS (National Health Service)

Publicly funded healthcare system in the UK

Austerity

Economic policy of cutting government spending to reduce national debt (prominent post-2010)

Referendum

A general vote by the electorate on a single political question (e.g. Brexit)

Brexit

The UK's withdrawal from the European Union following the 2016 referendum

Article 50

The clause in the EU treaty that triggers a member state's withdrawal

European Union (EU)

Political and economic union the UK left emphasizing a single market and open borders

Supreme Court of the UK

Established in 2009 to replace the Law Lords as the highest court of appeal

Rule of Law

The principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law

Civil Society (UK)

Robust and active independent organizations NGOs and protest groups operating freely

Quangos

Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations funded by the government but acting independently

TUC (Trades Union Congress)

A federation of trade unions in the UK (historically aligned with Labour)

CBI (Confederation of British Industry)

The UK's premier business lobbying organization

Fixed-term Parliaments Act

A law (recently repealed) that set general elections to occur every five years

Safe Seat

A constituency where one party is almost certain to win

By-election

An election held in a single constituency to fill a vacancy arising during a government's term

Russian Federation

The official name of the Russian state formed after the collapse of the USSR

Semi-Presidential System

A system with both a directly elected President and a Prime Minister responsible to the legislature

Asymmetric Federalism

A system where some regions (Republics) have more autonomy than others (Oblasts)

1993 Constitution

The current constitution of Russia adopted after Yeltsin's conflict with parliament

Vladimir Putin

The dominant figure in Russian politics serving as President or PM since 1999

Dmitry Medvedev

Served as President (2008-2012) while Putin was PM effectively keeping the seat warm

Boris Yeltsin

First President of the Russian Federation known for shock therapy and the 1993 constitutional crisis

Mikhail Gorbachev

Last leader of the USSR who introduced Glasnost and Perestroika

Glasnost

Gorbachev's policy of "openness" allowing for more freedom of speech

Perestroika

Gorbachev's policy of "restructuring" the economic and political system

Shock Therapy

Rapid privatization and marketization in the 1990s leading to economic chaos

Privatization Voucher

Given to citizens in the 1990s to buy shares in state industries often sold for cheap to future oligarchs

Oligarchs

Wealthy businessmen who gained influence in the 1990s now subservient to the state

Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Oligarch arrested and imprisoned by Putin to signal that business must stay out of politics

Siloviki

"Men of force" - politicians from security/intelligence agencies who are powerful under Putin

Clientelism

Exchange of goods and services for political support (patron-client networks)

Power Vertical

Putin's concept of a unified hierarchy of power from the executive down to the local level

Super-Presidency

A term describing the immense power concentrated in the Russian presidency

Decree Power

The President's authority to issue edicts that have the force of law without legislative approval

Federal Assembly

Russia's bicameral legislature

State Duma

The lower house of parliament (450 seats) that passes laws and approves the PM

Federation Council

The upper house representing the regions that approves treaties and troop deployments

Constitutional Court

Court responsible for judicial review though it rarely challenges the President

Supreme Court (Russia)

Highest court for civil criminal and administrative cases

United Russia

The ruling "catch-all" party of power that supports Putin

CPRF (Communist Party)

The second-largest party representing older voters and state centralization

LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party)

A far-right nationalist party

A Just Russia

A center-left party often viewed as a systemic opposition party created by the Kremlin

Yabloko

A small liberal/democratic party that is largely marginalized

Alexei Navalny

The most prominent opposition leader known for anti-corruption investigations (now imprisoned/deceased)

Nashi

A (now defunct) state-sponsored youth group used to mobilize support for Putin

Chechnya

A republic in the North Caucasus that fought wars for independence now ruled by Kadyrov

Ramzan Kadyrov

The authoritarian leader of Chechnya and a Putin loyalist

Illiberal Democracy

A regime with elections that are not free or fair and where civil rights are restricted

Hybrid Regime

A system combining democratic traits (elections) with authoritarian ones (repression)

Authoritarianism

A form of government characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms

Sovereign Democracy

Ideally a democracy that is not influenced by outside forces (Putin's justification for his rule)

Resource Curse

Dependence on natural resources (oil/gas) which can lead to corruption and authoritarianism

Rentier State

A state which derives all or a substantial portion of its national revenues from the rent of indigenous resources to external clients

Gazprom

The massive state-controlled energy company used as a tool of foreign policy

Near Abroad

Term used by Russia to refer to the newly independent republics which emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union