foundations of government ch 1 test

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

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

state

is 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.

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.

oligarchy

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

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.

republic

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

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.

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)

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.

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.

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 3 major components of government

People, powers, policies

What is the definition of the term state?

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?

Providing services

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

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?

Natural law theory and social contract theory

Who holds power in a totalitarian regime?

a dictator

Which of the following statements describes a representative government?

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?

unitary

One key characteristic that distinguishes presidential system from parliamentary system is

How the executive and legislative branches are organized.

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

The president is able to make decisions quickly and independently.

The core ideals of American democracy are

Liberty, equality, and self-government.

Which of the following statements defines the term equality

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

Why did the Framers take measures to protect minority rights?

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

Rule of law

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

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

Thomas Hobbes

English philosopher who believed “without government, people would find themselves in a war of all against all”

Jean Jacques Russeau

wrote the social contract theory, he argues that the only way 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

John Locke

father of liberalism, argued that all people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property

All states have these four characteristics

territory, population, government, sovereignty

theories of rule

divine right, natural law & natural rights, social contract, force, and evolutionary theory