AP Comp Gov - Russia Unit Vocab

Rule by Law

Where the law is applied arbitrarily, and government officials are not subject to the same rules and penalties as citizens.

Political system

The laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to rule and what the government's influence on its people and economy should be.

Political Socialization

The process whereby an individual comes to take on the political culture of their country

Political Culture

The collective attitudes, values, and beliefs of the citizenry, and the norms of behavior of the political system

Political Efficacy

The belief that one's political participation can influence the government

Democracy (liberal/substantive)

A political system where the state's legitimacy is based on the freely given consent of its citizens. Features not only free and fair elections, but broad protection of civil rights, including for minority groups, an independent judiciary, free media, active civil society groups, and civilian control of the military.

Procedural/Illiberal/Electoral Democracy

A political system that has regular, relatively free and fair elections, but is missing other features of a democracy

Devolution

the process of decentralizing power from a national government to sub-national governments a unitary state. Eg. to Scottish Parliament in the UK.

Fascism

An extreme nationalist ideology that favors authoritarian rule and the rights of the ethnic majority over that of ethnic minorities E.g. Hitler and Mussolini

Oligarchy

a political system in which a small group of people exercises power

Separation of Powers

A feature of a presidential system of government in which the legislative, executive and judicial functions of government are carried out by separate institutions with independent powers. US, Mexico, Nigeria.

Fusion of Powers

A feature of a parliamentary system of government where the authority of the legislative and executive are merged. UK

Civil Servant (Bureaucrat)

an employee of the government, not elected or appointed just hired, but typically with strong tenure protections.

Two-party System

A party system where one of two parties typically has control of the government.

Multi-party System

A party system where one of 3 or more parties, or a coalition, may have control of the government.

Dominant-party System

A system where-despite de jure democratic institutions—one party controls the government and opposition parties are suppressed.

Communism

in Marxist theory, the final stage of history in which people will live and work in small groups, producing goods for themselves and sharing those goods with each other. (According to Marx, in such a society, the state will slowly wither away).

Vanguard Party

In Leninist theory, a political party comprised of bourgeois intellectuals who have "gone over" to the proletariat; these intellectuals will lead the socialist revolution and guide the revolutionary transformation of society on behalf of the emerging proletariat.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the government, or the political party that controls the government, attempts to control nearly all aspects of society. E.g. Hitler, Stalin, Mao.

Authoritarianism

A political system where the state's legitimacy is based on use or threat of use of force. Power is concentrated in a small group of individuals. Lacks the features of a liberal democracy.