Q1 Vocab Test

society

A community of people who share a common culture

state

a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government with defined borders

law

A body of enforceable rules established by the government which keeps the population in check and the courts just

order

the perceived result of laws/predictability and peace in society

violence

purposefully disrupting another's wellbeing

Revolution

A radical change which disrupts the status-quo (not necessarily violent)

Power

the ability to influence others

authority

having power over something/being able to make decisions because people perceive you in that way (authority is granted)

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states (right to rule)

Legitamacy

The ability to rule and be respected, validated by the people (internal) or other states (external)

Representation

A group of people gathers to represent a bigger group of people and make decisions on behalf of the collective.

Consent

agreeing that an action is correct with another person, green-lighting you to act

Coersion

influencing people by force

Punishment

the deprivation of choice as a consequence

social class

a division of a society based on social and economic status.

social contract

The collective decides on the rules of engagement (ex. The Constitution)

Property

something you can own (extends to intellectual property)

Rights

An enumerated action you get to dictate

Liberty

the ability of people to act and think as they choose, self-determination

Duty

an obligation to the state

Justice

Perceived outcome of punishment

Equality

Two people being treated in the same way

Welfare

the ability to do well for yourself

Well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life, relies on perspective

public interest

something a group believes everyone will benefit from

Common good

what is proven to be good for everyone

collective responsibility

what we owe to each other

Civil society

network of groups, communities, and ties which stands between the individual and the modern state

political ideology

the coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals

political efficacy

citizen's trust that the government will respond to their demands (external), individual's trust in their understanding of and participation in politics (internal)

political culture

commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and underlying values about how government should operate

center

belief in a balance of social equality and hierarchy, not supportive of drastic moves to the right or left

left

Political ideology which emphasizes ideas like freedom, rights, reform, and internationalism

right

political ideology with emphasizes ideas like authority, tradition order, and nationalism

Democracy

A political regime in which the government is based on a fair and open mandate from all qualified citizens of a community

Direct Democracy

A system of government in which all members of the community take part in making decisions that affect the community

Indirect Democracy

a system of government that gives citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who work on their behalf (citizens approve a counsel to make decisions)

Liberal Democracy

A form of democracy that combines representation with the constitutional protection of individual rights (code is perused, established, and defended)

Illiberal Democracy

A political regime in which governments are democratically elected, but then work to weaken citizen rights and civil liberties (code is not defended, corrupt)

plutocracy

rule by the rich, people who decide are wealthier than those they represent

aristocracy

a hereditary ruling class; a group considered to be superior to the others

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Kleptocracy

"Rule by theft," where those in power seek only to drain the state of assets and resources (Ex. Nigeria)

technocracy

hiring of specialists to run the machine of government (they offer advice to the central government)

Oligarchy

a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution. more often used as a criticism than a description of govt

Monarchy

A government in which power is in the hands of a single person, usually hereditary and paired with aristocracy

anarchy

absence of government, anti government

Socialism

A system in which society, usually in the form of the government, owns and controls the means of production and establishes a bare minimum standard of living for all citizens

Communism

the need to validate work and share all wealth in a society (single brain surgeon gets a smaller house than a farmer with ten kids)

Theoretical Communism

the step after socialism, where all people share the resources of the country which are owned by the government

Modern Communism

All resources are owned by the government with single party control

Fascism

A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and no tolerance of opposition (uses scapegoating to hypervalidate leadership, often based on expansion, and tends to follow economic collapse)

unitary system

System in which sovereignty rests with the national government, and regional or local units have few independent powers.

federal system

sovereignty is shared between two or more levels of government, each with independent powers and responsibilities.

confederal system

A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.

parliamentary system

A group of representatives gathers to judge what is best for the country. Not often bicameral, always associated with a prime minister.

republican system

Power to the people, where a president is elected rather than a monarch

Authoritarian

The government has power over most things (not necessarily all).

Totalitarian

A government that exerts total unchecked power over the nation and citizens' lives.

Egalitarian

Mixed, diverse, open to all. Equal in some way

Dictatorial

One person has power over the government (could be elected, limited, or temporary). Often a criticism more than a title.

Majoritarian

Governed by the majority (> 50%)

Pluralism

Groups vote to get things done, and the biggest % wins.

matriarchy

A society ruled or controlled by women

Patriarchy

A form of social organization in which males dominate females

Paternalism

A policy of treating subject people as if they were children, providing for their needs but not giving them rights. (how imperialistic countries treated colonies)

Imperialistic

The goal of spreading culture/government across the world or beyond borders (modern times = mostly economic)

Hegemonic

Forcing the people a country conquers to adopt the culture of that country, forcing s central culture w/in a state

direct

People vote on an issue and it is decided only in that way. (Imperialism- telling citizens of colonized countries what to do)

Indirect

A third party is part of the vote between the people and the government (i.e. electoral college). (Imperialism- relying on local people to lead an imperial state)

Protectorate

A country protects another/gives access to economy in exchange for territory (Ex. Guam)

Prebendalism

Idea that tribes are more important than govt

Enlightenment

A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of accepted ideas and social institutions.

Common Defense

protection of people from their enemies

general welfare

the common good or what is good for all the people

private

outside of government institutions

public

for the good of the people, supported by the government

formal authority

power to give orders and enforce rules that has been defined in a legal or official way

participatory democracy

a system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf

Polis

the public (that votes)

Aristotelian Ideal

"the ideal citizens rule the interests of all, not because they are forced to by checks and balances, but because they see it as the right thing to do."

demagogue

a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

Mercantilism

an economic system (Europe in 18th C) to increase a nation's wealth by government regulation of all of the nation's commercial interests

Social Contract

an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits

elite

People of wealth and power

Marxist

Related to the work of nineteenth- century thinkers Karl Marx and Frederich Engel, beliefs in communism or control of the economy by the government

Capitalist

The socio-economic system in which production of goods and services takes place to generate profit. A key driving force in the system is people's desire for gain and self-interest.

Proletariat

Marx's term for the exploited class, the mass of workers who do not own the means of production

C. Wright Mills

coined the term sociological imagination

power elite

C. Wright Mills' term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics who make the nation's major decisions

Elitist Theory

a theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process

Max Weber

Father of sociology. Argued that in a capitalist society inequalities would lead to conflict, but that there would be more than one source of conflict. Argued that there were several factors that moderated people's reaction to inequality.

Beurocrat

an official in a government department, in particular one perceived as being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs.

Social Security

federal program of disability and retirement benefits that covers most working people

House of Commons

the first legislative body of Parliament whose members are elected.

Stamp Act Congress

group of colonists who protested the Stamp Act, saying that Parliament couldn't tax without colonist' consent

higher law

A set of laws that establish and limit the power of government

Natural Rights

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

Unalienable

not to be taken away

First Continental Congress

September 1774, delegates from twelve colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss a response to the Coercive Acts