Chapter 1 Terms

State

A political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and Enforce without approval from any higher authority

Nation

A group of people, united by bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and, sometimes, religion

Consensus

An agreement about basic beliefs

Sovereignty

The supreme and absolute authority within territorial boundaries

Government

The institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces blinding decisions on citizens

Social contract

The theory that by contract, people surrender to the state the power needed to maintain order and the state, in turn, agrees to protected citizens

Aristotle

An ancient Greek philosopher who defined government based on who rules and whether they rule for the common good or their own selfish desires

Thomas Hobbes

A 17th century English philosopher, who argued that humans in a chaotic “state of nature” Face of violent life that is “nasty, bruish, and short”

John Locke

A 17th century English enlightenment philosopher, whose political theories on natural rights, the social contract, and the consent of the governed heavily influenced the American founding fathers

Unitary system

A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government

Confederacy

A loose union of independent states

Constitution

A plan that provides the rules for government

Constitutional government

A government in which a constitution has authority to place clearly recognize limits on the powers of those who govern

Preamble

A statement in a constitution that sets forth the goals and purposes of the government

Constitutional Law

A law that involves the interpretation and application of the US Constitution and state constitutions

Politics

The effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government

Industrialized nation

A nation with large industries and advanced technology that provides a more comfortable way of life than developing nations

Developing nations

A nation only beginning to develop industrially

The Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay that countered, anti-federalist arguments and helped shape the US constitution

Autocracy

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

Monarchy

Autocracy in which a king, queen, or emperor exercises, supreme powers of government

Oligarchy

A system of government in which a small group holds power

Democracy

Government in which the people rule

Republic

A government in which voters hold sovereign power, elected representatives responsible to the people, exercise that power

Political party

A group of individuals with broad common interests Who organized to nominate candidates for office, win, elections, conduct government, and determine public policy

Free enterprise

The opportunity to control one’s own economic decisions

“One person, one vote”

The constitutional rule that legislative districts must be drawn to contain roughly equal populations, ensuring that every individuals vote carries equal weight and voting power

Economics

The study of human efforts to satisfy seemingly unlimited ones through the use of limited use of resources

Capitalism

An economic system, providing free choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business Enterprises

Free market

Economic system in which buyers and sellers make free choices in the marketplace

Laissez-Faire

The philosophy that government should keep its hands off the economy

Socialism

An economic system in which the government owns the basic means of production, distributes the products and wages, and provide social services, such as healthcare and welfare

Bourgeoisie

The capitalist middle class that owns the means of production (Such as factories, offices, and land) And holds economic power

Proletariat

Workers who produce the goods

Communism

And an economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions

Adam Smith

The foundational voice of laissez-faire Capitalism and free market economics

Karl Marx

A 19th century, German philosopher and economist who co-authored “The Communist Manifesto” And the Marxist theory

Command economy

An economic system in which the government controls the factors of production