politics

the social institution that distributes power, sets a society's goals, and make decisions

power

the ability to achieve desired ends despite resistance from others

government

a formal organization that directs the political life of a society

authority

power that people perceive as legitimate rather than coercive

traditional authority

power legitimized by respect for long-established cultural patterns

rational-legal authority

power legitimized by legally enacted rules and regulation (also known as bureaucratic authority)

charismatic authority

power legitimized by extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience

routinization of charisma

the transformation of charismatic authority into some combination of traditional and bureaucratic authority

monarchy

a political system in which a single family rules from generation to generation

democracy

a political system that gives power to the people as a whole

authoritarianism

a political system that denies the people particular participation in the government

totalitarianism

a highly centralized political system that extensively regulates people’s lives

welfare states

a system of government agencies and programs that provides benefits to the population

political spectrum

The liberal left to the conservative right, involves attitudes on both economic issues and social issues

special-interest groups

people organized to address some economic or social issue

voter apathy

high, just 66.2 percent of eligible voters cast votes in the 2020 presidential election

political action committee (PAC)

an organization formed by a special-interest group, independent of political parties, to raise and spend money in support of political groups, to raise and spend money in support of political goals

pluralist model

an analysis of politics that sees power as spread among many competing interest groups

power-elite model

an analysis of politics that sees power as concentrated among the rich

marxist political-economy model

an analysis that explains politics in terms of the operation of a society’s economic system

revolution

radically transforms a political system

terrorism

employs violence in the pursuit of political goals and is used by a group against a much more powerful enemy

war

organized, armed conflict among the people of two or more nations, directed by their governments

military-industrial complex

the close association of the federal government, the military, and defense industries

nuclear proliferation

the acquisition of nuclear weapons technology by more and more nations

conservatives

favor a market economy without central control because of its high level of productivity

progressives

favor extensive government regulation of the economy in order to limit the effects of market business cycles and the concentration of wealth