ap comp gov and politics

Anarchism

Belief that the state/government should be abolished and society should be organized voluntarily without centralized authority.

Black market

Illegal buying and selling of goods or services, often created when the state restricts prices, supply, or trade.

Bourgeoisie

In Marxism, the capitalist class that owns the means of production.

Causation

A relationship where one factor directly produces or helps produce a change in another factor.

Central bank

A state institution that manages a country’s currency, money supply, interest rates, and monetary policy.

Centrifugal forces

Forces that divide a state or pull people away from national unity, such as ethnic conflict or regionalism.

Centripetal forces

Forces that unify a state, such as nationalism, shared institutions, common language, or national identity.

Charismatic legitimacy

Legitimacy based on the personal appeal, heroism, or extraordinary qualities of a leader.

Citizenship

Legal membership in a state, usually involving rights, duties, and political identity.

Cleavages

Social divisions that affect political behavior, such as class, religion, ethnicity, region, or language.

Coinciding cleavages

Social divisions that overlap and reinforce each other, making conflict more intense.

Communism

Ideology seeking a classless society where private property is abolished and the means of production are collectively owned.

Conservative

A political attitude favoring tradition, stability, and gradual change rather than rapid reform.

Correlation

A relationship where two variables move together, but one does not necessarily cause the other.

Coup d’état

A sudden overthrow of the government, usually by the military or political elites.

Cross-cutting cleavages

Social divisions that overlap in different ways, reducing conflict because people share identities across groups.

Democratic centralism

Leninist party principle where debate is allowed before a decision, but once leaders decide, all members must support it.

Democratization

The process of becoming more democratic through expanded political rights, elections, participation, and accountability.

Dependency theory

Theory that poor countries remain poor because wealthy countries exploit them economically.

Developed countries

Wealthier, industrialized countries with higher GDP, stronger infrastructure, and higher standards of living.

Developing countries

Countries with lower income, weaker infrastructure, and economies often still industrializing or modernizing.

Devolution

Transfer of power from a central government to regional or local governments.

Empirical statements

Fact-based statements that can be proven or disproven with evidence.

Ethnicity

A shared identity based on culture, language, ancestry, history, or traditions.

Extreme poverty

Living with severe deprivation and lacking basic needs such as food, shelter, clean water, healthcare, or income.

Failed state

A state that cannot provide basic security, order, services, or control over its territory.

Fascism

Extreme authoritarian nationalism that emphasizes state power, militarism, hierarchy, and loyalty to a strong leader.

Federal state

A state where power is constitutionally divided between national and regional governments.

Free trade

International trade with minimal government barriers such as tariffs, quotas, or restrictions.

GDP

Gross Domestic Product; the total value of goods and services produced within a country in a year.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of countries through trade, technology, culture, migration, and politics.

Inflation

A general rise in prices that reduces the purchasing power of money.

Interest groups

Organizations that try to influence government policy without directly running candidates for office.

Legitimacy

The belief that a government has the right to rule.

Liberal

A political attitude favoring individual rights, civil liberties, reform, and often limits on authoritarian power.

Linkage institutions

Institutions that connect citizens to government, such as political parties, elections, media, and interest groups.

Modernization

The process of becoming more industrialized, urbanized, educated, and economically developed.

Nation

A group of people with a shared identity, culture, history, or sense of belonging.

Nationalism

Strong loyalty to one’s nation, often including the desire for national unity, independence, or sovereignty.

Normative statements

Value-based statements about what should happen; they cannot be proven purely by facts.

Oligarchs

Wealthy elites with major political and economic influence, especially in post-Soviet states like Russia.

Parastatals

Companies or organizations owned or heavily controlled by the state.

Personality cult

Extreme glorification of a political leader through propaganda, media, symbols, and public loyalty.

Political attitude

An individual’s opinion or belief about politics, government, or policy.

Political culture

The shared beliefs, values, norms, and expectations people have about politics and government.

Political economy

The relationship between politics, government policy, and the economy.

Political parties

Organizations that seek political power by running candidates and influencing policy.

Proletariat

In Marxism, the working class that sells its labor and does not own the means of production.

Radical

A political attitude favoring rapid, major, or fundamental change to the political system.

Rational-legal legitimacy

Legitimacy based on laws, rules, procedures, and institutions rather than tradition or personal loyalty.

Reactionary

A political attitude favoring a return to an earlier political or social order.

Regime

The rules, institutions, and norms that determine how power is gained and used in a state.

Siloviki

Russian political elites from the military, police, intelligence, or security services.

Social democracy

A system that combines democracy and capitalism with strong welfare programs and government regulation to reduce inequality.

Sovereign

Having independent authority over a territory and population without outside control.

State institutions

Formal government structures such as the executive, legislature, courts, bureaucracy, military, and police.

Strong states

States that effectively provide order, enforce laws, collect taxes, and deliver public services.

Subsidy

Government financial support given to businesses, industries, or citizens to lower costs or encourage production.

Subsistence agriculture

Farming mainly to feed oneself or one’s family, rather than to sell goods for profit.

Supranational organizations

Organizations made up of multiple states that have authority or influence beyond national borders, such as the EU or UN.

Tariffs

Taxes on imported goods, usually used to protect domestic industries or raise revenue.

Traditional legitimacy

Legitimacy based on long-standing customs, religion, monarchy, or historical practice.

Unitary state

A state where most political power is concentrated in the central government.

Weak states

States that struggle to enforce laws, provide services, control territory, or maintain legitimacy.

Welfare state

A state that provides social services such as healthcare, education, pensions, unemployment aid, or poverty relief.

Democratic centralism

A communist principle in which party members may debate policy internally but must publicly support and follow the final decision.

Dominant-party system

A political system in which multiple parties exist, but one party consistently controls the government and has major institutional advantages.

Duma

The lower house of Russia’s legislature, the Federal Assembly.

Federation Council

The upper house of Russia’s legislature, representing Russia’s federal regions.

Gulag

The Soviet system of forced-labor prison camps, especially associated with Stalin’s rule.

Head of government

The official responsible for running the government and implementing policy.

Head of state

The official who formally represents the country and may possess ceremonial or significant political authority.

Illiberal democracy

A system with elections but weak civil liberties, limited political competition, and restricted checks on government power.

Iron Curtain

The political and ideological division between the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc and Western Europe during the Cold War.

Kulaks

Relatively wealthy Soviet peasants who were targeted during Stalin’s agricultural collectivization.

“Loans for shares” scandal

A 1990s Russian program in which valuable state-owned companies were transferred to wealthy businessmen in exchange for loans to the government, helping create the oligarch class.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Lenin’s 1921 policy that temporarily allowed limited private business and market activity while the state retained control of major industries.

Transitional democracy

A political system moving from authoritarian rule toward democracy but whose democratic institutions remain incomplete or unstable.

Two-ballot majority

An electoral system requiring a candidate to receive a majority; if no candidate wins initially, a runoff election is held.

United Russia Party

Russia’s dominant political party, closely associated with Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.

Assembly of Experts

An elected body of Islamic clerics that formally selects, supervises, and may remove Iran’s supreme leader.

Azeri

A Turkic ethnic group concentrated mainly in northwestern Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan.

Coup d’état

The sudden and usually illegal overthrow of a government by a small group, often involving the military.

Expediency Council

An Iranian body that resolves disputes between the Majlis and Guardian Council and advises the supreme leader.

Green Movement

The Iranian protest movement that emerged after the disputed 2009 presidential election.

Guardian Council

A powerful Iranian body that reviews laws for compatibility with Islam and the constitution and approves candidates for elections.

Iranian Revolution of 1979

The revolution that overthrew Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and established the Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini.

Jurist guardianship

The principle that a qualified Islamic legal scholar should exercise political authority while awaiting the return of the Hidden Imam.

Majlis

Iran’s elected unicameral legislature.

Persians

Iran’s largest ethnic group, primarily associated with the Persian language and culture.

Reformist

An Iranian political faction that supports gradual political liberalization, expanded civil rights, and improved international relations while generally accepting the Islamic Republic.

Rentier state

A state that receives much of its revenue from external sources, such as oil exports, rather than taxation.

Shari’ah

Islamic law based on the Quran, the teachings of Muhammad, and Islamic legal interpretation.

Supreme Leader

Iran’s highest political and religious authority, controlling the military, judiciary, state media, and major appointments.

Zoroastrianism

An ancient Persian religion founded by the prophet Zoroaster that emphasizes the struggle between good and evil.

Coalition government

A government formed by two or more political parties when no single party controls a legislative majority.

Conservative Party, or Tory Party

A major British center-right party that generally supports free markets, traditional institutions, and limited government intervention.

Constituency

A geographic electoral district whose voters elect a representative to Parliament.

Constitutionalism

The principle that government authority is limited by laws, institutions, and established constitutional rules.

Devolution

The transfer of political powers from the central government to regional governments.