POL 101 - World Politics: Government, State, Nation & Political Regimes

Vocabulary flashcards covering core political science concepts from POL 101, including Government, State, Sovereignty, Nation, Regime, political systems, and global interdependence.

World Politics

The study of how countries and political actors interact and how political decisions and events around the world affect one another.

Government

The institution/institutions and people that run and administer a country.

State

A permanent political entity that exists within a territory.

Sovereignty

The State's authority over its territory and independence from outside authority.

Nation

A group of people who share a common identity, which can be based on culture, history, religion, language, or other shared characteristics.

Regime

The way political power is organized and exercised.

Autocracy

A system where political power is concentrated in the hands of one ruler/leader or a smaller ruling group.

Constitutional Government

A system where limits are placed on government power through institutions/rules.

Authoritarian Government

A system in which political power is concentrated and political freedoms and participation are restricted.

Totalitarianism

A more extreme form of government in which the government attempts to control many or virtually all aspects of society, including political/social life and potentially ideas and beliefs.

Democracy

A system in which political authority ultimately comes from the people, characterized by competition for political power through elections.

Direct Democracy

A system in which citizens directly participate in making political decisions, such as voting directly on an issue.

Indirect / Representative Democracy

A system in which citizens elect representatives who make political decisions on their behalf.

State Capacity

The ability of a state to effectively exercise authority and carry out its functions.

Weak State

A state that has difficulty exercising authority, leading to loss of control, insecure borders, militia/gang power, and increased violence or instability.

Petrodollar System

A system of international oil transactions that affects demand for U.S. dollars, connecting international politics to the U.S. economy.

Global Interdependence

The connection between countries where events in one nation affect people elsewhere through trade, energy prices, currency, interest rates, investments, and inflation.