Political Science 1100 - Fall 2025 Exam Review

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Political Science 1100 Fall 2025 lecture notes, designed for exam preparation.

U.S. Government strengths (according to lecture)

Two specific areas where the U.S. government continues to perform very well, as identified in lecture.

Criteria for evaluating democratic government performance

Three common criteria scholars use to assess how well a democratic government functions.

Magic Constitution myth

A brief explanation of a common misconception about the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. federal budget

An accurate definition of the U.S. federal budget.

U.S. federal outlays

An accurate definition of U.S. federal government expenditures.

U.S. federal revenues

An accurate definition of the income collected by the U.S. federal government.

U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

An accurate definition of the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.

U.S. federal budget deficit

The amount by which U.S. federal government spending exceeds its revenue in a given fiscal year.

U.S. federal debt

The total accumulation of past U.S. federal budget deficits, representing the total outstanding financial obligations of the government.

Government interest payments (on debt)

The reason why the U.S. government must pay interest when it borrows money.

U.S. debt interest vs. national defense spending (2025)

A comparison of the projected interest payments on U.S. debt in 2025 to national defense spending for the same year.

U.S. healthcare spending (as % of GDP)

The percentage of the U.S. GDP allocated to health care and how this compares internationally and to other national spending categories like defense and public education.

Public confidence in U.S. government (international comparison)

Findings from international surveys regarding public confidence in the U.S. government compared to confidence levels in other democracies.

Politicians' worry about reelection (beneficial argument)

The argument explaining why voters should be grateful that U.S. politicians are highly focused on winning reelection.

Politician reelection strategies (uninformed voters)

How politicians attempt to win reelection when most voters are either uninformed or misinformed.

Constructive pathway to reelection (informed voters)

How informed voters could provide politicians with a more beneficial strategy for winning reelection.

Formal government power (U.S.)

The officially granted and extensive authority of the U.S. national government, often appearing almost unlimited.

Actual government power (U.S.)

The real-world limitations and constraints on the power exercised by the U.S. government, which is much more restricted than its formal power.

Constitutional broad grants of power (U.S.)

Two passages in the U.S. Constitution that provide the national government with extensive formal powers.

Limitations on actual U.S. government power

Two reasons why the actual power of the U.S. government is significantly more limited than its formal constitutional power.

U.S. Constitution's assumption about human nature

The 'realistic' assumptions about human nature and behavior in government that form the foundation of the U.S. Constitution.

European monarchies' assumption about humans in government

The fabricated assumption about human nature underlying past European monarchies.

Communism's assumption about humans in government

The 'idealistic' assumption about human nature that forms the basis of communism regarding individuals in government.

Majority tyranny

A definition of a situation where a numerical majority in a democracy pursues its own interests at the expense of those in the minority, using legal means.

Brexit (as majority tyranny example)

An explanation of why 'Brexit' is considered an example of 'majority tyranny,' detailing the voter motivations and aftermath.

Demagogue

A political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.

Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided between a national (federal) government and various state governments.

Federalists (1789 goal)

How the Federalists established 'federalism' by achieving their main goal in 1789.

Anti-Federalists

Those who opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution.

Misconceptions about U.S. Constitution framers and process

A consolidated explanation of common inaccuracies regarding the framers as 'citizen-statesmen,' their view of human virtue, the guarantee of voting rights, popular control over government, and universal support for the Constitution.

Problem with 'The Founding Fathers believed in X' statement

The inherent flaw or inaccuracy in making a blanket statement about what 'The Founding Fathers' collectively believed on any given topic.

James Madison's claim to 'Father of Our Country'

The argument suggesting why James Madison might be more deserving of the title 'The Father of Our Country' than George Washington.

Constitutional framers' view on 'all people are created equal'

The nuanced perspective of the constitutional framers on the principle of 'all people are created equal,' differentiating between accepted and unaccepted aspects (excluding race and gender initially).

Constitutional framers' view on human emotion and reason

The perspective of the constitutional framers regarding the roles of human emotion and human reason in relation to government.

Framers' concern: Democracy leading to majority tyranny

The reasons why most of the constitutional framers believed that establishing a pure democracy would eventually result in 'majority tyranny'.

Framers' skepticism of entirely aristocratic government

The reasons why the framers were wary of a government controlled exclusively by an aristocracy or any single person, group, or social class.

Centralized government

A governmental system where authority and power are predominantly concentrated in a central or national body, such as the British government.

Decentralized government

A governmental system where power is distributed among various levels of government or institutions, often with checks and balances, such as the U.S. government.

British government structure

An illustration of a centralized government.

U.S. government structure

An illustration of a decentralized government.

Importance of leader selection methods

The significant impact and implications of different processes for selecting government leaders (e.g., birthright vs. democratic election, national vs. local).

Decentralized government guarding against tyranny

The reason why framers believed a decentralized government with multiple institutions is more effective against tyranny than a single-institution government.

Benefit of different leader selection methods (decentralized government)

How the defense against tyranny is further enhanced when leaders in each institution of a decentralized government are selected through varied methods.

Democratic elements in original 1787 Constitution

Aspects of the original 1787 Constitution (prior to amendments) that were considered democratic.

Aristocratic elements in original 1787 Constitution

Aspects of the original 1787 Constitution (prior to amendments) that were considered aristocratic.

Middle-ground elements in original 1787 Constitution

Aspects of the original 1787 Constitution (prior to amendments) that represented a balance between democratic and aristocratic principles.

Voting rights in original 1787 Constitution

What the Constitution officially stated regarding voting rights in 1787 and who actually held these rights in most states at that time.

Presidential selection process (original Constitution)

The method described in the original Constitution for selecting the President, along with the framers' underlying presumption about this process.

U.S. House of Representatives selection process (original Constitution)

The method outlined in the original Constitution for electing members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. Senate selection process (original Constitution)

The method outlined in the original Constitution for selecting U.S. Senators.

Political value

A definition of a belief or principle that influences an individual's political perspective and decisions.

Political interest

A definition of a common preference, outlook, or concern that motivates individuals or groups in the political sphere, often more important than political values in government.

Impact of state/district congressional elections on interest groups

How the localized election of U.S. congressmembers (rather than national election) empowers thousands of interest groups within Congress.

Decentralized government: rejection of majority tyrannies

The incentives and policy approval processes in a decentralized government that lead to the rejection of potential 'majority tyrannies'.

Decentralized government: opposition to widely beneficial policy initiatives

How the same incentives and processes that reject majority tyrannies can also result in the defeat of policies highly beneficial to nearly everyone.

Congressmembers' motivation (reelection incentive)

The primary motive that drives congressmembers to both oppose potential majority tyrannies and, conversely, resist widely beneficial policy initiatives.

Eliminating the penny (national interest argument)

The arguments suggesting how removing the penny from U.S. currency would be advantageous to the vast majority of Americans, serving the 'national interest'.

Lobbying for continued penny minting

The identity of the group or entity that advocated for 25 years to continue minting the penny, and their reasons for this stance.

Reasons for penny supporters' congressional success

The explanation for how those supporting the penny consistently succeeded in congressional debates over its continued production for two and a half decades.