Types of Government by Sophia

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the functions of government, political systems, economic models like capitalism and socialism, and key historical philosophers.

Government

The means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide societal benefits.

Politics

The process of negotiating who gets what and how, and the process of gaining and exercising control within a government for the purpose of setting and achieving particular goals.

Monarchy

A form of government where one ruler—usually a hereditary ruler—holds political power, which can be absolute or limited by law.

Oligarchy

A form of government where a handful of elite members of society—often belonging to a particular political party—hold all political power.

Democracy

A government in which political power—influence over institutions, leaders, and policies—rests in the hands of the people.

Republic

A representative democracy where citizens do not govern directly but elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on their behalf.

Majority Rule

A fundamental principle of democracy stating that the opinions/decisions of the majority should have more influence and be binding for the whole population.

Minority Rights

Protections for the views or identities of individuals who are not shared by the majority.

Proportional Representation

An electoral system in which legislative seats are allocated based on the share of votes each party receives; for example, a party with $20\%$ of the vote wins roughly $20\%$ of the seats.

Consensus Model

A model of government characterized by broad power-sharing, negotiation, and coalition-building rather than rule by a simple majority.

Political Power

The influence over institutions, leaders, and policies.

Limited Government

A form of government in which the rights of the people limit the powers that the government can exercise.

Totalitarianism

A form of government that is all-powerful, controlling all aspects of citizens' lives, repressing opposition, and allowing no political criticism.

Hannah Arendt

The German-Jewish philosopher who described the distinct ways totalitarian authority would develop, such as with the German National Socialist (Nazi) party.

Capitalism

An economic system in which individuals and corporations, not the government, own the principal means of production for profit.

John Locke

A seventeenth-century English political philosopher who argued that all people are born equal and have natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

Adam Smith

An eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher who believed in free trade and that governments should not decide who forms businesses or sells goods.

Socialism

An economic system in which the government owns some of the means of generating wealth (like factories and utilities) and redistributes that wealth to citizens.

Communism

A form of socialism in which the government owns all the means of generating wealth, and is typically run as an oligarchy by a ruling elite or specific party.

Regulations

Economic restrictions placed on industries by the government to protect citizens, such as those maintained by the Food and Drug Administration.

Freedom House

An organization that ranks countries based on individual rights, free elections, and media control, producing a Freedom Map to categorize nations as free, unfree, or partially free.