Unit 1 Vocab-Social Contract

Democracy

A system of government in which the people decide who their leaders are

Power

the ability to get people to do what you want

Authority

the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience (  socially accepted power)

Authoritarianism

favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom.

State of Nature

how things would be if there were no government to make rules.

Natural Rights

Rights that all people have just by being alive.

Social Contract

An Agreement in which people give up some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of a government in exchange for security, protection, and the maintenance of social order.

Thomas Hobbes

(1588–1679) was an English philosopher best known for his 1651 book Leviathan. In this work, Hobbes expounds on the idea that the state of nature was nasty, brutish, and short and that in order to avoid it people must give up their individual power to an absolute ruler (Leviathan).

John Locke

(1663-1704)-  regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers. Chief among his accomplishments was his contribution to the social contract theory, wherein he believed that if the government failed to protect people’s natural rights, the people have the right to overthrow the government.

Jean Jacques Rousseu

(1712-1778)- Enlightenment philosopher famous for his important work on political theory called The Social Contract. In this essay, Rousseau argued that in the social contract, people do not give up their natural rights and freedoms to a ruler, but rather to the ‘general will’ (will of the public or whole community).

Absolute Monarchy

a government led by a ruler who claims complete and unrestricted power

Limited Government

a political system in which the powers exercised by the government are restricted, usually by a written constitution

Rule of law

principle that government is based on clear and fairly enforced laws and that no one is above the law

Popular soverignty

the principle that the people are the ultimate source of authority and legitimacy of a government (literally: People Rule)

Constitution

A documented plan of government

Federal Government

This is in reference to the NATIONAL government (Washington D.C., vs. the government in our state or community.)

Seperation of powers

the idea that the powers of a government should be split between two or more strongly independent branches to prevent any one person or group from gaining too much power

checks and balances

a system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other branches

direct democracy

citizens vote on all government policies

repersentative democracy

the government is run by elected officials who make decisions for the country

monarchy

a system of government led by a king or queen

oligarchy

a small group of people controls a country. The citizens have very little power

autocracy

one person has all of the power. Citizens have little or no role in government. Think kings, dictators, etc.

unitary

Power is held by one central authority. The central authority has all the power to make laws and decisions for the people.

confederation

Voluntary association of independent states that make their own laws and decisions, but are loosely aligned to a weak central government

federation

Power to make laws and decisions for the people is SHARED or divided between one central and several regional authorities.

capitalism

The free market economic system based on private ownership of goods and services

socialism

An economic philosophy based on Collective or government ownership of a society's resources and means of production, with the goal of achieving social and economic equality.

market economy

An economic system in which economic decisions are left up to individual producers and consumers

command economy

An economic system in which decisions about production and consumption are made by a powerful ruler or the government.

claim

an argument or assertion (the main point you are arguing)

evidence

facts, information, or data that support your claim

reasoning

a justification that explains WHY your evidence proves your claim to be true