Chapter 1 Study Guide - US Government

Define government

institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies

What 3 basic powers do all governments have? Be able to describe each power.

J - Judge laws, E - enforce laws L - make laws

Define constituion

Define and explain dictatorship

single group has all the power

Define and explain democracy

the people have all the power

Who does the US government give legislative power to? Executive or judicial?

Executive

Define politics

decides how power and resources are distributed within society

Define state

a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government

What 4 characteristics does every state have? Be able to describe each theory.

government, population, territory, sovereignty

Population: live within boundaries
Territory: boundaries of geographic land
Government: political organization through state and makes and enforces policies
Sovereignty: absolute power within a territory and decides own foreign and domestic policies

What 4 theories explain the origins of the state? Be able to describe each theory.

Divine Right Theory, Social Contract Theory, Evolutionary Theory, Force Theory

D - the notion that god or gods have chosen certain people to rule
S - the people chose to give the state enough power to promote the well-being of everyone and if not they’re gone
E - state evolved from family - family ruled by a single person and therefore was the “state”
F - emerged when all the people of an area were brought under the authority of one person or group (by force)

What section of the U.S. Constitution sets forth the basic principles of America’s government?

The preamble

What are the 6 basic principles according to the Constitution? Be able to describe each principle

Form a more perfect union, Establish justice, Insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, and secure the blessings of liberty, promote the general welfare

Explaining the 6 basic principles

U - unite the American people
J - provide laws and enforce them in a fair manner
D - provide peace at home by providing law and order
CD - maintains defense and safe-guards the national security
W - promotes the general welfare of citizens by providing services, such as public education, that benefit all or most people
L - the government should allow rights and liberties to citizens

Define direct democracy and indirect democracy. Explain the difference between the two.

Direct - are people directly voting on everything Indirect - people vote for a representation to vote for the people

What type of democracy does the US have?

Indirect

What type of democracy does Great Britain have?

Indirect

Define autocracy and oligarchy

Auto - one person holds all the power
Oligarchy - a small group holds all the power

What are 3 categories to explain where power is located geographically in a government?

Unitary, Federal, and Confedrate

Define and explain unitary, federal, and confedrate

U - the government holds all the power and makes all the decisions
F - equal power between state and government
C - state has all the power, and government is limited

What are two categories of government based on how their legislative and executive branch interact?

Presidential and parliamentary

Pres - the executive and legislative branches are separate
Parl - legislative controls the executive