government test 1

.Government

is made up of the formal institutions and processes through which decisions are made for a group of people.

Power

refers to the government’s authority and ability to get things done.

Policy

A policy is a decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal.

State

a political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a clearly defined territory. The term refers to a country or nation- state, not one of the 50 states in the United States. All such states are characterized as having: a population, a territory, a government, and sovereignty.

Sovereignty

ultimate, supreme power in a state; the supreme power to act within its territory and to control its external affairs. Sovereignty includes independence from other states as well as the freedom to establish a form of government.

Politics

is the process by which government makes and carries out decisions.

Legitimacy:

rulers are seen as right and proper by important segments of a nation’s population

Divine rights of kings

The theory that a monarch rules by the sanction, or approval, of God

Social contract theory

a theory of society in which government is a contract between a government and the governed to provide protection and support for the people; under this theory, a government is legitimate only as long as the people voluntarily agree to hand over their power to the state.

Monarchy

a form of government in which political power is exercised by a single ruler,such as a king or a queen, who exercise absolute authority under the claim of divine or hereditary right. (p. 37)

Dictatorship

a system of rule in which one person, a dictator, or a small group of people can hold unlimited power over government, which is usually controlled by force. (p.37)

Oligarchy

rule by a few small groups of people, usually members of the military or the economic elite. (p. 37)

Direct democracy

a form of government in which citizens met regularly in a popular assembly to discuss issues of the day, pass laws, and vote for leaders. (p. 37)

Republic

an indirect form of democracy in which people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf. (p. 38)

Unitary system

a form of government in which all authority is vested in a central government from which regional and local governments derive their powers. (p. 39)

Federal system

a form of political organization in which power is divided among a central government and territorial subdivisions; in the United States power is shared among a national, state, and local governments.

Confederal system

an alliance of independent states manifesting a degree of national unity through a central government of united powers (e.g., the United States under the Articles of Confederation) (p. 40)

Presidential system

a form of government headed by a president who is elected by the people for a limited term of office and whose powers are balanced by an elected legislature. (p.41)

Parliamentary system

a form of government in which the chief executive is the leader whose party holds the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forms a major part of the ruling coalition. (p.42)

Ideal

conception of something in its most perfect form.

Liberty

the ability of people to act and think as they choose, as long as their choices do no harm to the liberty or wellbeing of others.

Equality

The principle that all people possess a fundamental, moral worth that entitles them to fair treatment under the law and equal opportunity in all aspects of life, political, social, and economic.

Self-government

the belief that ordinary people could aspire to rule themselves and do so as political equals.

Majority rule

a basic principle of democracy that decisions are made by a majority, by getting more than half of the votes cast.

Minority rights

the political rights held by groups that make up less than half of the population

Liberal democracy

a form of democracy that protects the rights of the minority.

Free-enterprise

an economic system in which individuals and businesses are free to engage in economic activity with a minimum of government interference.

What are the three main components of government?

a. People, powers, policies.

What is the definition of the term state?

b. A political unit with the power to make and enforce laws over a group of people living within a specific area.

Which function of government is concerned with building highways and establishing national parks?

d. Providing services.

Which of the following best describes why the government function of providing for the public good is challenging?

a. It involves making difficult choices that may not benefit everyone equally.

Which two theories of government has the greatest influence on early American political leaders?

c. Natural law theory and social contract theory.

Who holds power in a totalitarian regime?

b. A dictator

Which of the following statements describes a representative government?

a. Citizens are the ultimate source of government authority.

A country decides to establish a new government in which power is centralized in a single national government and regional government carry out the decisions of the central government. What system does this new government illustrate?

c. Unitary

One key characteristic that distinguishes presidential system from parliamentary system is

d. How the executive and legislative branches are organized.

Which of the following is an advantage of a presidential system of government?

c. The president is able to make decisions quickly and independently.

The core ideals of American democracy are

a. Liberty, equality, and self-government.

Which of the following statements defines the term equality?

d. All people possess a moral worth that entitles them to fair treatment.

Why did the Framers take measures to protect minority rights?

b. They worried that an imbalance that allowed one group to gain too much power threatened the common good.

The principle of American democracy which states that government is subject to recognized and enforced limits is called

a. Rule of law.

How does the free enterprise system of the United States protect individual economic freedoms?

a. By allowing people and businesses to make their own economic choices with limited government interference.

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher who believed people naturally lived in a dangerous “state of nature” and needed a strong government to keep order. He wrote Leviathan.

Jean Jacques Russeau

French philosopher who believed people could regain their freedom through a government based on a social contract and the general will of the people.

John Locke

English philosopher who believed people have natural rights such as life, liberty, and property, and that government exists to protect those rights

Legitimacy

The belief that a government has the right and authority to rule.

All states have these four characteristics:

Population, territory, government, and sovereignty

Divine Right Theory

The belief that a ruler's authority comes directly from God.

Natural Law and Natural Rights

The belief that certain rights and principles are naturally given to all people and should be protected by government.

The Social Contract Theory

The belief that government gets its authority from an agreement between the people and the government.

Force Theory

The belief that states were created when a person or group used force to take control over others.

Evolutionary Theory

The belief that states developed gradually from families and larger groups of people over time.

Leviathan

A book written by Thomas Hobbes in 1651 arguing that people originally lived without government or laws in a dangerous state of nature.

State of nature

A condition where people live without government or laws.

The Social Contract

A book written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1762 arguing that people can regain their freedom through a government based on a social contract.

people could regain their freedom was by establishing a government that was both based on a

social contract and responsive to the “general will” of the people.

Supreme Court Cases to look at:

• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)-- Constitutional Issue: 14th Amendment,

Equal Protection Clause. Court ruling struck down segregation in public school, ending

“separate but Equal” doctrine.

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Constitutional Issue 14th Amendment, Equal Protection

Clause. Established the doctrine of “Separate but Equal”

• Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) Constitutional Issue: 6th Amendment, right to counsel.

Court ruled that all accused persons must be given counsel if they cannot afford one.

Note: You need to review your notes as well as the files posted in Canvas.