AP Gov Vocab Ch 1-2

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Aristocracy

Rule by “the best”; in reality, rule by an upper class.

Oligrachy

Rule by the few in their own interests.

Democracy

A system of government in which political authority is vested in the people. Derived from the Greek words demos (“the people”) and kratos (“authority”).

Anarchy

The absence of any form of government or political authority

direct democracy

A system of government in which political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives; probably attained most easily in small political communities.

legislature

A governmental body primarily responsible for the making of laws.

initiative

A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.

referendum

An electoral device whereby legislative or constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters for approval or disapproval.

recall

A procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from state office before his or her term has expired.

republic

A form of government in which sovereignty rests with the people, as opposed to a king or monarch.

democratic republic

A republic in which representatives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies.

representative democracy

A form of government in which representatives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies; may retain the monarchy in a ceremonial role.

universal suffrage

The right of all adults to vote for their representatives.

majority

more than 50%

majority rule

A basic principle of democracy asserting that the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should select officials and determine policies.

limited government

The principle that the powers of government should be limited, usually by institutional checks.

majoritarianism

A political theory holding that in a democracy, the government ought to do what the majority of the people want.

elite theory

A perspective holding that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power to further their self-interest.

pluralism

A theory that views politics as a conflict among interest groups. political decision making is characterized by bargaining and compromise.

ideology

A comprehensive set of beliefs about the nature of people and about the role of an institution or government.

socialism

A political ideology based on strong support for economic and social equality; traditionally envisioned a society in which major businesses were taken over by the government or by employee cooperatives.

libertarianism

A political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward almost all government activities.

liberalism

A set of beliefs that includes the advocacy of positive government action to improve the welfare of individuals, support for civil rights, and tolerance for political and social change.

conservatism

A set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government
in helping individuals, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change.

Hispanic

Someone who can claim a heritage from a Spanish-speaking country other than Spain. This is the term most often used by government agencies to describe this group. Citizens of Spanish-speaking countries do not use this term to describe themselves.

Latino

preferred term for referring to individuals who claim a heritage from a Spanish-speaking country other than Spain.

politics

The process of resolving conflicts and deciding “who gets what, when, and how; is the struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups that can grant or withhold benefits or privileges.

government

The preeminent institution in which decisions are made that resolve conflicts or allocate benefits and privileges. It is unique because it has the ultimate authority within society.

institution

An ongoing organization that performs certain functions for society.

divine right of kings

A political and religious doctrine that asserts a monarch’s legitimacy is conferred directly by God and, as such, a king is not subject to any earthly authority, including his people or the church.

social contract

A theory of politics that asserts that individuals form political communities by a process of mutual consent, giving up a measure of their individual liberty in order to gain the protection of government.

political culture

The set of ideas, values, and ways of thinking about government and politics that is shared by all citizens.

political socialization

The process through which individuals learn a set of political attitudes and form opinions about social issues.

liberty

The greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society.

order

A state of peace and security. maintaining order by protecting members of society from violence and criminal activity is the oldest purpose of government.

equality

As a political value, the idea that all people are of equal worth.

property

Anything that is or may be subject to ownership. As conceived by the political philosopher John locke, the right to property is a natural right superior to human law (laws made by government).

capitalism

An economic system characterized by the private ownership of wealth- creating assets, free markets, and freedom of contract.

eminent domain

A power set forth in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that allows government to take private property for public use under the condition that just compensation is offered to the landowner.

totalitarian regime

A form of government that controls all aspects of the political and social life of a nation.

authoritarianism

A type of regime in which only the government is fully controlled by the ruler. Social and economic institutions exist that are not under the government’s control.

representative assembly

A legislature composed of individuals who represent the population.

natural rights

rights held to be inherent in natural law, not dependent on governments. John Locke stated that natural law, being superior to human law, specifies certain rights of “life, liberty, and property.” These rights, altered to become “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” are asserted in the Declaration of Independence.

social contract

A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.

unicameral legislature

A legislature with only one legislative chamber, as opposed to a bicameral (two­chamber) legislature, such as the U.S. Congress.

confederation

A political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers they expressly delegate to a central government. A voluntary association of independent states, in which the member states agree to limited restraints on their freedom of action.

state

A group of people occupying a specific area and organized under one government; may be either a nation or a subunit of a nation.

bicameral legislature

A legislature made up of two parts, called chambers. The U.S. Congress is an example

supremacy doctrine

A doctrine that asserts the priority of national law over state laws. This principle is rooted in Article VI of the Constitution, which provides that the Constitution, the laws passed by the national government under its constitutional powers, and all treaties constitute the supreme law of the land.

Great Compromise

The compromise between the new Jersey and Virginia plans that created one chamber of the Congress based on population and one chamber representing each state equally; also called the Connecticut Compromise.

separation of powers

The principle of dividing governmental powers among different branches of government.

Madisonian Model

A structure of government proposed by James madison in which the powers of the government are separated into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

checks and balances

A major principle of the American system of government whereby each branch of the government can check the actions of the others.

electoral college

A group of persons called electors selected by the voters in each state and the District of Columbia; this group officially elects the president and vice president of the United States. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of each state’s representatives in both chambers of Congress.

federal system

A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional, or subdivisional, governments. Each level must have some domain in which its policies are dominant and some genuine political or constitutional guarantee of its authority.

ratification

Formal approval.

Federalist

The name given to one who was in favor of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the creation of a federal union with a strong central government.

Anti-federalist

An individual who opposed the ratification of the new Constitution in 1787; opposed a strong central government.