Exam 1

Includes: - practice quizzes - self made questions - 2 pt questions from exam

Historic materialism means a major societal change arising from the clash of two opposing ideas, forces, or social contradictions. (T/F)

False

Many concerned that communism would eventually lead to totalitarianism or authoritarianism. Which of the following is NOT correct about the link between communism and authoritarianism/totalitarianism?
A. Supporters of communism believe that communism is incompatible with democracy.
B. Totalitarianism is an ecology that espouses the complete political and social control of people.
C. Authoritarianism is a political stance that favors placing political power in the hands of an elite group or a dictator.
D. The single party ruling of the communist party is the institutional foundation that links communism and authoritarianism

A. Supporters of communism believe that communism is incompatible with democracy.

According to the article, Marx believed that human nature is inherent and unchangeable, leading to his vision of a communist society (T/F)

False

This is a discussion of what we expect to be most likely answers to our research questions. Through this, researchers define concepts

Theory

All scientific statements are falsifiable statements.

True

Which component of the scientific method is a testable implication of a proposed relationship?

hypothesis

If two variables are negatively correlated (more of A means less of B), what does this tell us about the causal relationship between A

Nothing for certain

What is a tautology

A statement that's based on a definition - not falsifiable

What is a dynamic that occurs when some other factor causes changes in both the dependent and independent variables simultaneously

spurious relationship

What is the process of using the fact we know to learn about facts we do not know.

inference

The dependent variable is the phenomenon that we want to explain. (T/F)

True

What was one of the main reasons for the collapse of communism in the soviet union and its satellites

A. nherent flaws in marx's depiction of communism
B. the failure to provide a competitive standard of living compared to capitalist economies
C. lack of interest from marx in how a communist society would function

B. the failure to provide a competitive standard of living compared to capitalist economies

Dialectical change indicates a view that economic structure determines how society is organized (T/F)

False, this is a definition of historic materialism

Which of the following is NOT the ideal of Communism
A. dictatorship of proletariats
B. no government
C. no private ownership resources
D. distributed according to one's abilities

D. resources distributed according to one's abilities - the other options are ideals

Which political thinker believed that people in the state of nature were doomed to live a life that is "solitary, poor. nasty, brutish and short"

thomas hobbes

Plato famous work

the republic

Plato ideal government

aristocracy - "philosopher king"

aristotle famous work

politics

aristotle ideal government

polity (mixed regime of democracy and oligarchy)

Nicolo Machiavelli famous work

the prince - critiqued philosopher king, too innocent

Nicolo Machiavelli ideal regime

virtuous republic (mixed and balance constitution)

thomas hobbes famous work

leviathan

thomas hobbes state of nature

people are evil and fight each other

thomas hobbes social contract

people delegate to a sovereign power the right to maintain social peace

Thomas Hobbes government purpose

provide and guarantee security

thomas hobbes ideal regime

government by a sovereign with unlimited power (monarchy) - not giving them power would limit their ability

John Locke state of nature

not inherently good or bad

John Locke social contract

people give the government power to protect their individual rights

John Locke ideal regime

government limited by a contract/constitution and is accountable to citizens

John Locke government purpose

safeguard individual rights

Jean Jacque Rousseau state of nature

inherently good and complete freedom

Jean Jacque Rousseau social contract

unanimous agreement to associate under the general will

Jean Jacque Rousseau ideal government

popular sovereignty + direct democracy in small communities of consesus

Jean Jacque Rousseau government purpose

serve the general will of people

dialectical change

a major societal change arises from the clash of two opposing ideas, forces, or social contradictions

historic materialism

economic structure determines how society is organized - people don't have inherent natures, they are impacted by the economic structure

communism goals

rise of proletariat (dictatorship), classless, end of struggle/conflict, collective ownership, inequality/capitalism is undesirable

socialism

liberal democracy and communism

The sub-field of political science that asks how institutional and cultural differences across countries affect the practices of politics is known as:

comparative politics

The four basic subfields of political science are:

American government, international relations, comparative politics, and political theory

The gathering and analysis of voting results in an election to determine why citizens voted for particular candidates would be an example of which task of political science?

empirical understanding

____ political science asks "should questions"; in other words, it is prescriptive rather than descriptive or explanatory (e.g. what limits should there be on power?)

normative

normative + empirical political science relationship

Empirical and normative political science are complementary as both can contribute to good policy making.

All scientific statements are falsifiable. (T/F)

True

which of these is NOT a sub-discipline of political science?
A. political rhetoric
B. international politics
C. comparative politics
D. political philosophy

A. political rhetoric

Some criticize political scientists' engagement with the media. According to the reading ("Reports of political science's death have been exaggerated"), why is political scientists' engagement with the media potentially problematic?

It pressures scientists to condense findings for media consumption

Some, including Jennings and Lodge, worry that political science is dying. What is one of the principal issues raised by Jennings and Lodge in their critique of the current state of political science?

Inadequate engagement of political scientists with local communities.

THIS provides conclusions about how politics works deductively from a simple assumption that political actors are rational and choose the most efficient ways to attain their goal. What is THIS?

rational choice model

Liberal democracy embodies two great, overlapping, but different ideas. What does the ideal of"liberalism" embody?

protection of basic rights

Which of the following is the "democratic" ingredient of the idea of liberal democracy?
A. equality
B. constitutionalism
C. protection of private property right
D. laissez faire

A. equality

What was the middle classes' stance on liberalism and democracy?

They were avid supporters as they wanted to protect their assets and freedoms against the government/

How is the French Revolution relevant to liberalism and democracy?

It is an example of a successful attempt of the middle class to achieve liberalism and democracy.

The idea that government should be limited by a constitution is a legacy of:

classic liberalism

When do capitalists share a democratic interest (such as popular rule)?

When the suffrage is limited to people of property.

According to Aristotle, which form of government provides the best practicable good life?

polity

The _____________ refers to the theoretical agreement between society and the government, wherein society agrees to accept the authority of the government in exchange for the government's protection and provision of rights and justice.

Social Contract

Which of the following is a correct statement?
A. Hobbes believed that sovereign is not limited by the people who have contracted with each other.
B. Rousseau believed that to limit the sovereign is to limit the ability to maintain the very peace and order that the people constructed to obtain
C. Hobbes believed that the government should be limited by the nature of the contract or constitution.
D. Rousseau believed that the state of nature is a state of war of every man against every man.

A. Hobbes believed that sovereign is not limited by the people who have contracted with each other.

Populist voters generally support and appreciate key liberal democratic institutions, such as constitutional courts and independent agencies (T/F)

False

The threats to liberal democracy come only from external forces and not from within. (T/F)

False

Communism expects the eventual rise and triumph of which social group?

proletariat

In Marxist thought, which social class controls the means of production under capitalism?

bourgeoisie

Which of the following ideas does social democratic ideology share with classic liberalism?

Government must be limited and accountable

which of the following ideas does social democratic ideology share with Marxism?
A. Revolution is necessary
B. capitalism is necessary
C. capitalism leads to inequality
D. government is necessary and will persist

Capitalism leads to inequality

Which of the following is NOT a central aspect of democratic socialist thought?
A.The desire to help people socially develop their potential
B.The need for violent revolution
C. a mixed economy
D. The need for popular, constitutional rule

B.The need for violent revolution

Democratic socialists often have the goal of achieving an economy in which there is both public and private control of industries. This is known as ________.

mixed economy

What does communism predict will occur in their ideal society?

A classless and conflictless society

which of the following is NOT correct about Thomas Hobbes?
a. He believed that people in the state of nature were doomed to live a life that is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”.

b. He believed that a government should be constrained by the constitution.

c. He believed that a government should provide security and peace.

d. In his view of the social contract, people delegate to a sovereign power the right to maintain peace.

b. He believed that a government should be constrained by the constitution.

Which of the following is correct about “normative” political science?

a. It usually asks “how” and “why” questions.

b. It is based on observational evidence.

c. It focuses on providing the best description of how the process of politics works.

d. It is prescriptive rather than explanatory.

d. it is prescriptive rather than explanatory

Which of the following is correct about the connection between the desire for individual freedom (liberalism) and the rule of the people (democracy).

a. The French revolution is an example symbolizing the failure of the middle class in achieving both liberalism and democracy.

b. Liberalism was strongly advocated by the middle class who wanted to protect their assets against the tyranny of monarchies.

c. Liberalism was strongly opposed by the middle class who opposed expansive welfare policies by the government.
d. Capitalists share a democratic interest in popular rule when suffrage is expanded to everyone

b. Liberalism was strongly advocated by the middle class who wanted to protect their assets against the tyranny of monarchies.

Many are concerned that communism would eventually lead to totalitarianism or authoritarianism. Which of the following is NOT correct about the link between communism and authoritarianism/totalitarianism?

a. The single party ruling of the communist party is the institutional foundation that links communism and authoritarianism.

b. Supporters of communism believe that the dictatorship of the proletariat is more democratic than the undemocratic dictatorship of the bourgeoisie.

c. Authoritarianism is a political stance that favors placing political power in the hands of an elite group or a dictator.

d. Supporters of communism believe that communism and democracy are incompatible.

d. Supporters of communism believe that communism and democracy are incompatible.

Which of the following is correct about social democracy (democratic socialism)? Choose ALL that is correct.
i. It is institutionally based on a one-party system.

ii. It supports public ownership for all aspects of economic life.

iii. It believes that a government should intervene to provide key welfare services.

iv. It accepts the need of government.

(iii) and (iv)

Which of the following is the democratic ingredient of the idea of liberal democracy that sets it apart from class liberalism?

a. Political equality among individuals

b. Constitutionalism

c. Protection of private property rights

d. The triumph of the proletariat

a. Political equality among individuals

Which of the following is a correct comparison between three social contract theorists?

a. Unlike Rousseau, both Hobbes and Locke agreed that sovereignty should not be limited to maintaining peace.

b. Unlike Hobbes, both Rousseau and Locke emphasized the role of general will in social contract

c. Unlike Locke, Hobbes and Rousseau believed that direct democracy is not feasible.

d. Unlike Hobbes, both Rousseau and Locke believed that the government is limited by the nature of the contract.

d. Unlike Hobbes, both Rousseau and Locke believed that the government is limited by the nature of the contract.

Which of the following is NOT the reason why people criticize democratic socialism.

a. Critiques on the right believe that democratic socialism is a contradiction in terms.

b. Critiques on the right believe that socialism is inefficient.

c. Critiques on the left believe that democratic socialism fails to emancipate workers and to share the fruits of collective labor in a fair manner.

d. If they go too conservative, democratic socialists will frighten off the middle-class support they need for gaining and wielding power.

d. If they go too conservative, democratic socialists will frighten off the middle-class support they need for gaining and wielding power.

A political scientist wants to test if certain religion is less compatible with democracy. This political scientist collects data about the share of Christians, Muslim, and atheists in 200 countries around the world and the democracy scores of these countries. The political scientists find that a negative association between the share of Christians and democracy score—i.e., the higher the share of Christians in a country, the lower the democracy score of a country. Which of the following is correct about this study? Choose ALL that is correct (or none).

i. The political scientist is testing an unobservable topic, hence the hypothesis in this study is non-falsifiable.

ii. The political scientist is using a qualitative approach to test the hypothesis.

iii. The researcher’s finding supports a claim that certain religious beliefs cause non-democracy.

iv. This is normative political science.

none of the above is correct

Which of the following is INCORRECT about the ideal society that communism envisions?

a. It predicts a classless and conflictless society.

b. It predicts the continuing hostility between countries due to global-level inequality.

c. It predicts a society where distribution is made based on one’s need.

d. It predicts a society without a need to have a government.

b. It predicts the continuing hostility between countries due to global-level inequality.