Unit 2 History Study Guide Vocabulary

individualism

individualism

the social theory of favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control

equality of opportunity

a state of fairness where each individual is treated similarly in all situations without bias or prejudice

free enterprise

an economy where the market determines prices, products, and services rather than the government

rule of law

every person, even those in power, must follow and is accountable to the same laws that govern all

limited government

where the government’s roles are restricted through delegated and enumerated powers

political socialization

refers to the process by which individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors

globalization

the interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and populations

opinion polls

measuring public opinion on various issues

benchmark or tracking polls

following how views of a candidate change during a campaign

entrance and exit polls

collecting data on why people voted the way they did

random sampling

the result of a process whereby a selection of participants is made from a larger population and each subject is chosen by chance

margin of error

the error that can result from the process of selecting the sample

monetary policy

deals with interest rates and the money supply so that there is less inflation

fiscal policy

the idea of how much a government can tax and how much a government can spend

keynesian economics

argues that a government can use fiscal policy in order to stimulate the economy during times of recession

supply-side economics

a pro-business approach to expanding the economy, by hiring more people for work, which works in everyone’s favor

federal reserve

controls monetary policy

confirmation bias

the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs

straw man

stating an opponent’s argument in an extreme or exaggerated form, or attacking a weaker portion of an opponent’s argument

false dilemma

forcing your opponent into an either this or that positing; ignoring another option other than the two presented

false equivalence

comparing apples and oranges; ignoring the context, scale, and specific actions of each party (differing significantly)

hasty (over) generalization

arguing from a few particular instances to make generalizations about a whole issue; claim in this case is not supported by sufficient evidence