POL100 Q1

Three Types of Authority

Traditional: based on custom (monarchies), Charismatic: based on personality (revolutionary leaders), Legal-rational: based on laws and institutions (modern states).

Three Faces of Power

decision making, agenda setting, ideological power

European Enlightenment

An 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, individual rights, liberty, equality, and skepticism of traditional authority such as monarchy and the church; it laid the foundation for modern democracy and liberalism.

French Revolution

A late-18th-century political revolution in France that overthrew absolute monarchy, promoted Enlightenment ideals like liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty, and helped spread democratic and nationalist ideas across Europe.

Political Culture

The shared values, beliefs, attitudes, and expectations about politics and government held by a society, which influence how citizens relate to political institutions.

Parochial Political Culture

A political culture where people have little awareness of or involvement in politics, often found in traditional or rural societies.

Subject Political Culture

A culture where citizens are aware of political institutions but largely passive, accepting decisions made by authorities without active participation.

Participant Political Culture

A political culture in which citizens are informed, engaged, and actively participate in political processes such as voting, protests, and civic activities.

Political Socialization

The process by which individuals learn political values, beliefs, and behaviors through family, education, media, peers, and institutions.

Political Efficacy

The belief that one’s political actions matter; internal efficacy refers to confidence in understanding politics, while external efficacy refers to belief that government responds to citizens.

Political Ideology

A coherent set of beliefs and values about how society should be organized, how power should be distributed, and what role government should play.

Liberalism

An ideology emphasizing individual rights, freedom, equality before the law, and consent of the governed, originating from Enlightenment thought.

Classical Liberalism

A form of liberalism advocating limited government, individual liberty, private property, and a free-market economy.

Laissez-Faire Economic System

An economic system with minimal government intervention where markets operate freely based on supply and demand.

Reform Liberalism

A version of liberalism that supports government intervention to address inequality, provide social welfare, and ensure equal opportunity.

Neo-Liberalism

An ideology emphasizing free markets, privatization, deregulation, and reduced government spending, associated with the late 20th-century New Right.

The New Right

A political movement combining neo-liberal economic policies with conservative social values, prominent in the 1980s.

Conservatism

An ideology valuing tradition, social stability, gradual change, and respect for established institutions.

Socialism

An ideology advocating collective or public ownership of the means of production and greater economic equality.

Marxism

A revolutionary form of socialism developed by Karl Marx that views history as a struggle between classes and calls for the overthrow of capitalism.

Leninism

A development of Marxism emphasizing a centralized revolutionary party to lead the working class in overthrowing capitalism.

Democratic Socialism

A form of socialism that seeks economic equality and social ownership through democratic means rather than revolution.

Social Democracy

A political ideology supporting a capitalist economy combined with strong government regulation and a comprehensive welfare state.

Environmentalism

An ideology focused on protecting the environment, promoting sustainability, and addressing ecological crises.

Reform Environmentalism

An approach that seeks environmental protection through laws, regulations, and sustainable development within existing political systems.

Free-Market Environmentalism

The belief that market mechanisms and private property rights can best address environmental problems.

Deep Ecology

An environmental philosophy arguing that nature has intrinsic value independent of human use and that humans must radically change their relationship with the environment.

Social Ecology

The view that environmental problems are rooted in social hierarchies and systems of domination.

Ecofeminism

An ideology linking the oppression of women with the exploitation of nature, arguing both stem from patriarchal systems.

Anarchism

An ideology rejecting the state and all forms of coercive authority, advocating voluntary cooperation and self-governance.

Fascism

An authoritarian ideology characterized by extreme nationalism, centralized power, suppression of opposition, and rejection of democracy.

Nazism

A racist and totalitarian form of fascism based on extreme nationalism, anti-Semitism, and dictatorship under Adolf Hitler.

Populism

A political approach that frames politics as a struggle between “the people” and “the elite.”

Left-Wing Populism

A form of populism focusing on economic inequality, social justice, and opposition to corporate power.

Right-Wing Populism

A form of populism emphasizing nationalism, cultural identity, and opposition to immigration or globalism.

Feminism

An ideology advocating gender equality and the social, political, and economic rights of women.

Liberal Feminism

A branch of feminism focusing on legal and political equality through reforms within existing systems.

Socialist Feminism

A feminist perspective arguing that women’s oppression is caused by both capitalism and patriarchy.

Radical Feminism

A form of feminism that views patriarchy as the root cause of women’s oppression and calls for fundamental social change.

Postmaterialist values

A value system that prioritizes self-expression, autonomy, and quality of life over economic and physical security, emerging in societies where basic material needs are met.

Materialist values

A value system focused on economic and physical security, emphasizing goals like economic growth, property ownership, and social order.

civic culture

A political culture characterized by acceptance of state authority and a belief in participating in civic duties, which supports the stability of a democratic society.