cscc pols 1100 midterm

Aristocracy

Government power concentrated among the top social class

Authority

The recognized rights or governments and officials to exercise power

Autocracy

Government power concentrated in one

Capitalism

Govt should interfere with economics as little as possible; free market - free enterprise and self reliance

Constitutionalism

Limiting government power to protect citizens liberties

Communism

Govt owns and operates every aspect of economy

Democracy

People govern directly or indirectly thru elected representatives; the people rule

Elitism

Wealthy have the power im public policy

Legitimacy

Govt has the right to rule as recognized by those being governed

Majoritarianism

Majority prevails in elections and public policy

Oligarchy

Govt power concentrated among a few such as business, military, etc. leaders

Pluralism

Public policy is set by competing groups in society

Political science

The systematic, research-based study of govt and politics

Political thinking

Gathering and sifting information to form a knowledgeable view of political issues

Politics

Process through which a society settles its conflicts; the struggle for power

Power

The ability to influence political developments

Public policies

Decisions by govt to persue particular courses of action

Theocracy

Govt power concentrated among religious leaders

Totalitarian

Govt has absolute power

Socialism

Govt owns and operates key industries (energy, transportation, health care, etc)

Sovereignty

Govt control over a nation-state's territory, supreme and final source of power

Socrates

opposed pure democracy, people cannot govern themselves

Plato

mistrusted direct democracy, believed kings should rule, universal education, no slavery, equality of men and women, idealistic

Aristotle

humans are "political animals", They live in groups, opposed democracy, wanted balanced govt with monarchy, aristocracy, and polity. Realistic

Niccolo Machiavelli

The Prince; realist, ruthless competitors beat out the good, rulers need to be cunning and strategic to gain power

Thomas Hobbes

Leviathan; wrote during English civil war, "war of all against all", our lives will be "nasty, Brutish, and short" if monarchy is countered.

John Locke

Two Treaties of Govt; limited govt to protect individual rights, citizens can rebel of rights are taken, opposed an absolute monarchy, wants law and order

Francios-Marie Arouet (Voltaire)

promoted freedom of speech and religion, wanted separation of church and state

Baron de Montesquie, Charles-Louis de Secondat

Separation of powers

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

(1712-1778); The Social Contract; Humans are naturally good, voluntary community to promote the "general will"

Adam Smith

Believed free markets produce prosperity

James Madison

Federalists Papers Co-Author, US constitution, Bill of Rights; Large republic with competing groups, separation of powers

Alexander Hamilton

Federalist Papers Co-Author; Strong central govt, unitary executive

Alexis de Tocqueville

Democracy in America; political culture matters, worried about tyranny of the majority

Friedrich Engels

Communist Manifesto Co-Author; Opposed organized religion and capitalism, promoted communist revolution

Karl Marx

Das Kapital; Private property allows exploitation, promoted communist revolution

Max Weber

Authority=legitimate power comes from rule of tradition, law, charismatic leader

Jane Addams

Equality and voting for women, promoted helping economically disadvantaged

W.E.B. DuBois

; equality for racial minorities, promoted the right to vote for racial minorities

C. Wright Mills

Political power in US controlled by corporate, military, and political elites

Scope of Political Science

The study of power

Political Science subfields

American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political economy, and political philosophy

Functions of government

providing leadership, maintaining order, providing public services, providing national security, providing economic security, and providing economic assistance.

What is critical thinking?

the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.

Confirmation Bias

a tendency to search for and only listen to information that confirms one's preconceptions

Political Culture

The widely shared and deep-seated beliefs on a nation's people about politics and government

Constitutional Democracy

Authority of the majority is limited by legal and institutional means so that the rights of individuals and minorities are respected. A government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections.

Separation of Powers

The division of government power among separate branches so there is not a concentration of power in any one individual or institution

Checks and Balances

Divided and overlapping political power to help protect against abuse of government power

Declaration of Independence

July 4th/August 2nd, 1776. Written by John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston. It was an official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule.

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War, leaving the states with too much power.

History of the U.S Constitution

Needed to replace AOC and create a government strong enough to act on a national level without infringing on the rights of the citizens, written in summer 1787 by 55 delegates in Pennsylvania

Virginia Plan/ New Jersey Plan

A proposal during the 1787 Constitutional Convention for a strong Congress with two chambers with states having votes based on population, thus granting more power to the larger states

Great Compromise

both large and small states would be fairly represented by creating two houses of Congress. In the House of Representatives, each state would be assigned seats in proportion to the size of its population. In the Senate, each state would have two delegates regardless of size.

Three-fifths Clause

A provision signed into the Constitution in 1787 that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted in determining each state's representation in the House of Representatives and its electoral votes for president.

Federalist Papers

Written by Hamilton, Jay, & Madison to support ratification of the U.S. Constituiton

Tyranny of the majority

The potential of a majority to monopolize power for its own gain to the detriment of minority rights and interests

Historical evolution of Federalism

changed over time from clear divisions of powers between national, state, and local governments in the early years of the republic to greater intermingling and cooperation as well as conflict and competition today.

Unitary government

A governmental system in which the national government alone has sovereign (ultimate) authority

Confederation government

type of government made up of a league of independent nations or states. Each state is independent and has its own authority and autonomy, but they come together for some sort of shared government.

Cooperative Federalism

The national, state and local governments working together to solve problems

Dual Federalism

The idea that a precise separation of national power and state power is both possible and desirable

Fiscal Federalism

the federal government's use of grants-in-aid to influence policies in the states

Enumerated powers

Those powers granted to a government that are expressly stated in a constitution

Implied powers

Governmental power that is not expressly authorized by a constitution but is required to fulfill a government's enumerated powers

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which makes national law supreme over state law when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits

Necessary and Proper Clause

Constitutional clause that gives congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for executing its powers (Article I, Section 8)

10th Amendment

Powers not given to federal government go to people and States

Devolution

Transferring authority from the national government to the state and local governments

Structure of Congress

bicameral legislature divided into two equal institutions: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state sends elected representatives and senators to Congress.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature

Decentralized

To move the control of an organization or government from a single place to several smaller ones

Term of office/qualifications for office (Congress)

6 year term, 30, Citizen for 9 years, residency in the state they are representing

Functions of Congress

Make laws, Declare war, Raise and provide public money and oversee its proper expenditure, Impeach and try federal officers, Approve presidential appointments, Approve treaties negotiated by the executive branch, Oversight and investigations

Trustee/delegate representation models

Elected representatives are entrusted by voters with the responsibility of governing for all. Representatives are free to serve the people as they think best

Incumbent advantages for reelection

98% of all incumbents were re-elected. Congressional elections are stagnant, and because of the high invincibility of House incumbents, very few districts are truly competitive, with elections shifting very few seats from one party to another

Reapportionment

The reallocation of U.S. House seats among states after each census as a result of population changes

Redistricting

The process of altering districts to make them as equal in population as possible, occurs every 10 years after each census and only affects the U.S. House

Gerrymandering

The process by which the political party in power draws legislative districts to make it easier for its candidates to win elections

Role of political parties

Helps citizens make judgements on candidates. organizes candidates into categories.

Filibuster cloture

A procedural tactic in the U.S. Senate whereby a minority of legislators prevent a bill from coming to a vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn from consideration

Legislative process

First, a Representative sponsors a bill. The bill is then assigned to a committee for study. Representatives vote, then senate votes, then president has the choice to veto or pass it

Term of office - President

4 years, maximum of two terms

Qualifications for office

must be at least 35 years of age, be a natural born citizen, and must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years

Roles of the President

Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief, Legislative Leader, Head of State, Economic Leader, and Party Leader

Roles of the Vice President

take the presidency in case of impeachment, death, disability, or resignation. also presides over the Senate and votes in case of a tie

Electoral College structure and process

Citizens vote on representatives who then vote for president.435 members of the house, 100 members of the senate. 3 additional votes are for DC. total of 538 members

Whig Theory

presidency was a restrained office whose occupant was limited to expressly granted constitutional authority (1800s)

Stewardship Theory

argues for a strong, assertive presidential role with presidential authority limited only at points specifically prohibited by law (Today)

Presidential popularity/power & growth

Presidents are supposed to have equal power to the other branches, but they have so much power due to the media focused on them constantly. More media=more power

Executive

Carries out the laws/puts them into effect

Patronage system

appointing bureaucrats to important government positions as a reward for their political services and partisan loyalty

Merit system

appointing bureaucrats to important government positions on the basis of competitive examinations, special qualifications and professional training

Structure of federal courts

District courts(94) → circuit courts-appellate(13) → Supreme court(1) (Local→Intermediate→final)

State vs federal courts

State courts handle smaller, daily cases and run under broader jurisdiction. Federal courts handle larger, more important cases under the narrow jurisdiction of the constitution

Appointing/confirming judges

nominated by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate, as stated in the Constitution.