AP Comp Gov. Ch. 2 Vocab

Quiz Date 9/16/25

State

Political institutions with international recognition that govern a population in a territory

Government

Institutions and individuals (executive, legislature, judiciary, and bureaucracy) that make legally binding decisions for the state and have lawful right to use power to enforce those decisions.

Bureaucracy

Set of appointed officials and government workers who carry out policies

Sovereignty

State's ability to act without internal/external interference

International recognition

Formal step taken by a state to grant official status to another state and begin treating it as a member of the global community

Regime

Type of government, such as liberal democracy or authoritarian

Regime change

Change in fundamental rules/system of government

Coup d'etat

Overthrow of government by a small number of people, often military leaders

Revolution

Overthrow of regime based on widespread popular support

Change in government

Change in leaders, without fundamental changes in system of government

Nation

Group of people who share a sense of belonging and who often have a common language, culture, religion, race, ethnicity, political identity, or set of traditions or aspirations.

Nationalism

When a group has a strong sense of identity and believes it has its own destiny

Liberal democracy

System with free and fair elections in which a wide array of civil rights and liberties is protected.

Authoritarian state

System without free or fair elections in which civil rights and liberties are restricted

Totalitarian state

Type of authoritarian government where state controls nearly all aspects of citizens' lives

Illiberal, flawed, or hybrid democracy

System in which elections may be marred by fraud and the state protects some civil rights and liberties but restricts others

Rule of law

Clear set of rules where government officials are subject to the same laws and penalties as citizens

Rule by law

Law is applied arbitrarily, and government officials are not subject to the same rules/penalties as citizens

Transparency

Ability of citizens to know what the government is doing

Democratization

Process of transitioning from an authoritarian to a democratic regime

Democratic consolidation

Process by which a regime has developed stable democratic institutions and significant protections of civil liberties and is unlikely to revert back to authoritarianism

Democratic backsliding

Decline in quality of democracy, including a decrease in citizen participation, rule of law, transparency, and accountability

Power

Ability to make someone do something they would not otherwise do

Authority

Legitimate power a state has over people within its territory

Theocracy

System based on religious rule

Coercion

Use of force, or threat of force, to get someone to do something they would not otherwise do

Legitimacy

Citizen's belief that government has the right to rule

Political efficacy

Citizen's belief that his/her actions can impact the government

Traditional legitimacy

Right to rule based on a society's long-standing patterns and practices

Charismatic legitimacy

Right to rule based on personal virtue, heroism, or other extraordinary characteristics

Rational legal legitimacy

Right to rule based on accepted set of laws

Unitary system

Political system in which the central government has sole constitutional sovereignty and power.

Federal system

Political system in which a state's power is legally and constitutionally divided among more than one level of government

Devolution

Granting of powers by the central government to regional governments