Government and Economic Systems (quiz 1)

Flashcards covering government functions, economic systems, principles of democracy, origins of the state, and governmental structures based on lecture notes.

What are the primary functions of government according to the notes?

Governments exist to maintain an orderly society, protect citizens, peacefully settle disagreements, construct public spaces and services to increase quality of life, punish lawbreakers, and provide domestic security for a safe environment.

What is the core function of an economic system?

The function of an economic system is to attempt to satisfy the needs and wants of the people with limited resources.

What three basic questions must every economic system answer?

1. What and how much should be produced? 2. How should goods and services be produced? 3. Who gets the goods and services that are produced?

What are the key characteristics of Capitalism?

Capitalism is rooted in individual incentives, private property rights, and freedom of choice. It relies on supply and demand in a free market without government interference to determine prices and production.

What historical event occurred in the Soviet Union during the 1920s as part of a 5-year plan?

In the 1920s, the Soviet Union implemented a 5-year plan that took peasants from farms to build railroads, houses, and factories. While cities grew around factories, people starved due to a lack of food production.

What basic principles guide American democracy?

Citizen participation, holding fair elections regularly, the rule of law, economic freedom, equality, human rights, an independent judicial branch, and political tolerance.

Why are human rights, economic freedom, and citizen participation considered critical principles in American democracy?

Human rights protect citizen safety from government infringement; economic freedom encourages productivity through rewards for hard work; citizen participation powers elections and funds public services through taxes.

How is Socialism defined in the notes?

Socialism is an economic system where the government controls many economic functions (such as public education, healthcare, and welfare services) to evenly distribute wealth, though it does not control all functions.

What are Democratic Socialists?

Democratic socialists are people who believe in democracy and basic rights (like freedom of speech) but want the government to have a larger role in wealth distribution and economic decisions to benefit everyone.

What is a Command Economy under Communism?

A command economy is a system where the government controls every part of the economy from production to consumption, controls media and communications, and allows no private property.

Who are the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat?

The Bourgeoisie are capitalists who own the wealth and means for producing goods. The Proletariat are the workers who work for the Bourgeoisie in factories. Karl Marx proposed communism due to the large wealth gap between them.

What is the difference between a Nation, a State/Country, and Sovereignty?

A nation is a group of people with a distinct identity believing they have the right to a sovereign state; a state (or country) is an independent, sovereign political entity; sovereignty is a government's absolute control over governing without outside interference.

What are Evolutionary Theory, Force Theory, and Divine Right Theory?

Evolutionary Theory states the idea of the state comes from family leadership; Force Theory states a state was united under leaders using violence or threats; Divine Right Theory states a leader's right to rule comes from God.

What is the Social Contract?

The Social Contract is an agreement where citizens surrender some freedoms to the government in exchange for protection and security, pulling man away from the state of nature for society and personal benefits.

How do Unitary, Confederate, and Federal systems distribute power?

A Unitary System concentrates all key powers in the central government; a Confederate System is a loose union where local governments hold most power; a Federal System shares power between central and local governments.

What defines a Constitutional System?

A government whose governance is determined by a written constitution that outlines rules, establishes basic structure, and defines powers and duties.

How are Authoritarian/Totalitarian systems, Dictatorships, and Oligarchies defined?

Authoritarian/Totalitarian systems control all economic and social lives using power and threats; a Dictatorship is a subcategory where one person has absolute power; an Oligarchy is a subcategory where a few people or one political party hold absolute power.

What is the distinction between a Monarchy and an Autocrat in the notes?

A Monarchy is ruled by a king, queen, or emperor with inherited absolute power; monarchs who use force to keep citizens in order are referred to as autocrats.

What is the difference between Direct Democracy, Representative Democracy, and a Republic?

In a Direct Democracy, each citizen votes directly on laws and issues; in a Representative Democracy, citizens vote for officials to represent their ideas; a Republic uses representative democracy and has no monarch in charge.