APCOGO Unit 3 Terms (Part 2)

only includes civil rights/liberties and political cleavages

Civil liberties

Fundamental rights and freedoms protected from infringement by the government

Civil rights

Positive actions taken by the government to prevent people from being discriminated against when engaged in political actions

Social movement

A large group organized to advocate for political change

Social cleavage

Division based on ethnicity, race, religion, class, or territory

Political cleavage

Division based on different ideas about the role of government and policy-making goals

Ethnic group

A group of people who see themselves as united by one or more cultural attributes or a common history

Race

A group of people socially defined on the basis of one of more perceived common physical characteristics

Social class

A group of people who perceive themselves as sharing a social status based on a common level of wealth, income, type of work, or education

Ethnic cleavages - examples

1. Mexico → Ethnic divisions stem from the minority Amerindian population and the majority Mestizos population 

2. Nigeria → Forced proximity from British colonization has created conflict among the 250+ ethnic groups in Nigeria, including the Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba, and the Igbo

Religious cleavages - examples

1. Iran → The Shia majority outnumbers the Sunni minority, and thus, their population faces repression and has significantly less power

2. UK → In Northern Ireland, conflict has persisted between Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists

Income cleavages - examples

1. Russia → Oligarchs and other businesses receive favorable treatment if they joined regime-approved business associations. The government did this as an attempt to limit the formation of civil society groups

2. China → There is a split between beliefs of people living in the city and those living in rural areas, with those in urban areas supporting reform and those in rural areas supporting the current government