AP Comparative Government and Politics Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the AP Comparative Government and Politics coursebook, focusing on regimes, legitimacy, and political systems.

Sovereignty

The ability to carry out actions and policies within a state's borders independently from external or internal interference.

Autonomy

A state's lack of independence and inability to exercise sovereignty, making it susceptible to exploitation.

State

The organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory.

Nation

A group of people bound together by a common political identity.

Nationalism

The sense of belonging and identity that distinguishes one nation from another; often translated as patriotism.

Binational/Multinational State

A state that contains more than one nation.

Stateless Nation

A group of people without a state.

Regime

The rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power.

Democracy

A regime that bases its authority on the will of the people.

Parliamentary System

A democracy where citizens vote for legislative representatives, who then select the leaders of the executive branch.

Presidential System

A democracy where citizens vote for legislative representatives and executive branch leaders, with a separation of powers between the branches.

Authoritarian Regime

A regime where decisions are made by political elites without much input from citizens.

Communism

A political and economic system in which the state controls everything from the government to the economy to social life.

Corporatism

An arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy.

Totalitarianism

A particularly repressive regime that seeks to control and transform all aspects of the political and economic systems of the society.

Military Rule

A form of nondemocratic rule where the military intervenes directly in politics.

Coup d’état

A forced takeover of the government.

Patron-Clientelism

A system in which the state provides specific benefits or favors to a single person or small group in return for public support.

Pluralism

A situation in which power is split among many groups that compete for the chance to influence the government’s decision making.

Political Culture

The collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on.

Political Ideologies

Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics.

Transparency

A government that operates openly by keeping citizens informed about government operations and political issues and by responding to citizens’ questions and advice.

Legitimacy

The right to rule, as determined by a country's own citizens.

Traditional Legitimacy

This rests upon the belief that tradition should determine who should rule and how.

Charismatic Legitimacy

This is based on the dynamic personality of an individual leader or a small group.

Rational-Legal Legitimacy

This is based neither on tradition nor on the force of a single personality, but rather on a system of well-established laws and procedures.