Key Concepts in Civil Liberties, Rights, and Political Ideologies

Civil Liberties

Fundamental rights and freedoms protected from infringement by the government.

Civil Rights

Positive actions taken by the government to prevent people from being discriminated against when engaged in fundamental political actions, such as voting.

Social Movement

A large group organized to advocate for political change.

Coercion

A government's use of force or threats to pressure individual behavior.

Formal political participation

Voting in elections and on referendums, contacting government officials, joining political groups, working on a campaign, and donating money to a cause or candidate.

Informal political participation

Protest, civil disobedience, and political violence, including terrorism.

Protest

A public demonstration against a policy or in response to an event, often targeting the government.

Political violence

The use of physical force by non-state actors for political ends.

Terrorism

Political violence or the threat of violence that deliberately targets civilians to influence the behavior and actions of the government.

Civil Society

Groups that form outside the government's control.

Political Culture

A set of widely held attitudes, values, and beliefs about government and politics.

Political Socialization

The process through which an individual learns about politics and is taught about society's common political values and beliefs.

Postmaterialism

A set of values in a society in which most citizens are economically secure enough to move beyond immediate economic (materialist) concerns to 'quality of life' issues like human rights, civil rights, women's rights, environmentalism, and moral values.

Political Ideology

An individual's set of beliefs and values about government, politics, and policy.

Individualism

The belief that people should be free to make their own decisions and that the government should not unnecessarily regulate individual behavior or restrict civil liberties.

Neoliberalism

A philosophy favoring economic policies that support the free market and reduce trade barriers.

Communism

An ideology that advocates state ownership of all property, with the government exercising complete control over the economy.

Socialism

A political ideology in which economic equality is a core value, with the belief that government ownership of the major means of production is a way to reduce income inequality within a state.

Fascism

A nationalist political ideology in which nationalism and the primacy of the state are the core beliefs. It emphasizes the rights of the majority, oppresses the minority, and supports strong authoritarian rule.

Totalitarianism

A political ideology that emphasizes domination of the state over citizens. In totalitarian systems, the government has complete control over citizen's lives.

Populism

A political ideology based on the idea that the government should put the rights and interests of the common people above the elites.

Social Cleavage

Division based on ethnicity, race, religion, class, or territory.

Political Cleavage

Division based on different ideas about the role of government and policymaking goals.

Ethnic Group

A group of people who see themselves as united by one or more cultural attributes or a common history.

Race

A group of people socially defined mainly on the basis of one or more perceived common physical characteristics.

Social Class

A group of people who perceive themselves as sharing a social status based on a common level of wealth, income, type of work, or education.