Introduction to American Politics - VOCABULARY Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key political science terms from the lecture notes (Politics, Government, systems of rule, democracy, economics, and political culture).

Politics

The use of power to make common decisions for society and enforce those decisions.

Power

The ability of a person or entity to force others to do what they want or need them to do.

Authority

The belief that a person or organization has the right to exercise power and make decisions.

Legitimacy

The perception that an authority has the inherent right to exercise power; fragile and can be lost.

Government

The system of organizations that exercise political power, create laws, levy taxes, and enforce decisions.

Leviathan (Hobbes)

The idea that without government, life would be chaotic; government exists to establish authority.

Social contract

The idea that people give up some freedoms in exchange for peace, order, and protection.

Natural rights

Rights and liberties that all people inherently possess; government must protect them.

Legitimacy loss

When authority is no longer perceived as legitimate, leading to destabilizing forces like rebellion.

Anarchy

A system with no recognized political power; a temporary absence of authority.

Monarchy

A system where one person holds power, often hereditary; may claim Divine Right.

Autocracy

A political system with one person holding all power, regardless of title.

Oligarchy

A system in which a small group holds political power.

One-Party State

An oligarchic form where only one political party is allowed to govern.

Plutocracy

Rule by the wealthy; political power concentrated in wealth.

Military dictatorship

Government controlled by high-ranking military officers.

Aristocracy

Rule by noble families; power held by a hereditary or elite group.

Theocracy

Government controlled by clergy or religious leaders.

Totalitarianism

A harsh form of authoritarian rule seeking total control over all aspects of life.

Democracy

Rule by the people; can exist as direct democracy or representative democracy.

Direct democracy

All adult citizens vote on all decisions; highly demanding and participation-intensive.

Representative democracy

Citizens elect officials to exercise power on their behalf.

Republic

A representative democracy with no monarch; power exercised by elected officials.

Constitutional monarchy

Democratically governed states with ceremonial monarchs and real power in elected bodies.

Direct democracy mechanisms

Initiative, referendum, and recall — tools allowing citizens to directly affect laws.

Initiative

Citizens can write and propose laws; enough signatures place the measure on the ballot.

Referendum

Voters approve or reject a proposed law or constitutional amendment.

Recall election

Citizens can force an early election to replace an elected official.

Majority

The winner must have more than half of the votes cast (50% + 1 in many cases).

Plurality

Winner is the person with the most votes, not necessarily a majority.

Supermajority

A large threshold of votes required for certain actions (context-dependent).

2/3 majority

Often required to propose constitutional amendments, convict impeached officials, and ratify treaties.

3/5 (60%)

Threshold to overcome the Senate filibuster in many cases.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership and free markets.

Laissez-faire capitalism

A theoretical extreme with minimal government intervention; not realized in practice.

Regulated capitalism

Capitalism with government regulations to curb market failures and protect rights.

Socialism

Economic system where resources are collectively owned and outcomes are pursued more equally.

Communism

A more radical form of socialism advocating communal ownership and often a dictatorship of the proletariat.

Mixed economy

An economy with both capitalist and socialist elements and government intervention.

Social democracy

Capitalist economy with strong social welfare programs and substantive guarantees.

Government corporations

Publicly owned entities (e.g., USPS, Amtrak, TVA) that provide services and are not purely profit-driven.

Freedom

A core value emphasizing individual rights and freedom from undue government interference.

Equality

Equal treatment under the law and equal opportunity; non-discrimination; fair processes.

Popular sovereignty

The idea that political power derives from the people.

Democratic symbols

Blue = Democratic Party, Red = Republican Party; donkey = Democrats, elephant = Republicans.

GOP

Grand Old Party; nickname for the Republican Party.

Left-right spectrum

A political spectrum based on ideological positions; liberal (left) vs conservative (right).

Blue states / Red states / Purple states

Colors indicating political leanings; blue = Democratic, red = Republican, purple = competitive.

Capacities of a republic vs democracy

Republic = no monarch with elected representatives; democracy = rule by the people, via representatives or directly in some cases.

Constitutional monarchy vs republic

Constitutional monarchies have ceremonial monarchs but democratically elected governments; republics have no monarch as the head of state.

Left-right seating in legislatures

Historical origin (French Revolution) of the left (liberal) and right (conservative) seating; influences modern labeling.

Symbolic metonyms (Washington, Hill, White House, Pentagon)

Common shorthand terms used to refer to parts of the government or government activities.