USG Chapter 1: Foundation basics

Power

The ability to force others to obey

Authority

The right to rule

Legitimacy

Belief in authority

Sovereignty

Supreme authority

Dictatorship

Form of government where one person has total power over a country and rules by force

Monarchy

Authority is vested in hereditary figure, king or queen

Oligarchy

All power is vested in a few persons

Theocracy

A god or deity is seen as the supreme civil ruler

Anarchy

The absence of governmental control

Democracy

The people choose representatives to make decision's

Archon

A leader in ancient Athens

Ecclesia

A assembly in ancient Athens

Aristocrat

A person from a class of people holding exceptional rank and privileged

Boule

A council of 400 men in ancient Athens

Consul

Either of the two chief leaders of the ancient Roman republics

Checks and balances

The system that allows one part of the government to keep another part of the government in line

Veto

To reject an action of another

Term Limits

The maximum number of terms a government official can serve

Divine right of kings

The religious belief that a ruler gets their right to rule from god

Natural rights

Abilities or privileges that every person should have just because they are human

Social Contract

A voluntary agreement between individuals and the government

Popular sovereignty

The idea that the power of the government comes from the people

Rule of Law

The principle that the law applies to everyone, no matter the person’s status

Magna Carta

British document that limited the power of the government

English Bill of Rights

British document that protected the people from the government