GOVT 490 Final Exam: Forum and Tower Study Guide - Glendon

Penal Laws

A set of laws that imposed severe restrictions on Irish Catholics, including limitations on education, property ownership, and political participation.

Hedge school

Secret, informal schools in Ireland where Catholic children were educated despite the Penal Laws.

Burke's literary and political circles

The overlapping groups of intellectuals, politicians, and writers Burke engaged with to advance reform and conservative values.

Tactical adjustments

Burke's method of balancing ideals with practical compromises to navigate political realities.

Economy of truth

Burke's idea that truth must sometimes be presented carefully or partially to serve justice and public good.

Marquess of Rockingham

Burke's political patron and leader of the Rockingham Whigs; a supporter of moderate reform.

Independent judgment (Burke's trustee theory of representation)

The belief that elected representatives should use their own judgment rather than simply follow the will of their constituents.

Catholic Relief Act of 1778

A law that began dismantling the Penal Laws by allowing Catholics some civil rights in Britain and Ireland.

East India Company

A powerful British trading company criticized by Burke for its abuses in India.

Warren Hastings

Governor-General of India whom Burke impeached for corruption and abuse of power.

Charles James Fox

A Whig politician and ally of Burke early on, but later divided with him over the French Revolution.

Rockingham Whigs

A faction of the Whig party supporting constitutional monarchy and cautious reform.

Reflections on the Revolution in France

Burke's famous critique of the French Revolution, defending tradition and incremental change.

English common law

The body of legal precedents and traditions Burke praised as a source of stability and liberty.

Pierre Royer-Collard

Tocqueville's mentor and a constitutional monarchist who influenced his moderate liberal views.

Malesherbes family

Tocqueville's noble lineage, representing a legacy of public service and liberal thought.

Gustave de Beaumont

Tocqueville's lifelong friend and collaborator, coauthor of works on American society.

Louis-Philippe

The "citizen king" of France (1830-1848), under whom Tocqueville served in the Chamber of Deputies.

Tocqueville's three authors

Montesquieu, Rousseau, and Pascal—key thinkers who shaped his political philosophy.

Revolution of 1848

A wave of political upheavals across Europe; Tocqueville briefly held office during France's revolution.

Universal male suffrage

A democratic reform in the 1848 French constitution allowing all men to vote, which Tocqueville viewed with cautious optimism.

(Louis) Napoleon III

Elected president in 1848 and later emperor; Tocqueville opposed his authoritarian consolidation of power.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

The highest office Tocqueville held, serving briefly in 1849 before resigning over political conflict.

Reasons for Tocqueville's political ineffectiveness

Included his discomfort with political maneuvering, abstract style, and refusal to fully align with any party.

Science and specialization

Weber emphasized the increasing division of academic fields and the need for disciplined scholarly rigor.

Karl Marx's mistake

According to Weber, Marx erred in seeing history only through economic determinism and class struggle.

Kaiser Wilhelm II

The last German emperor; Weber critiqued his autocratic rule and lack of reform-minded leadership.

System of civil-service rule

Bureaucratic professionalism that Weber saw as a modern necessity, though it could stifle innovation.

Disenchantment of the world

Weber's term for the decline of traditional values and religious meaning in modern life.

Raymond Aron

A later political thinker influenced by Weber, especially regarding realism in international politics.

Politics as a vocation

Weber's essay describing politics as a calling requiring ethical conviction and responsible leadership.

Protestant habits and attitudes

Cultural forces Weber credited for promoting capitalism through values like discipline and thrift.

Critique of Otto von Bismarck

Weber criticized Bismarck's authoritarian legacy and failure to promote liberal institutions.

Making a living from politics

A phenomenon Weber cautioned against, warning that careerism could corrupt public service.

Tocqueville on universal suffrage

Tocqueville warned of the risks of tyranny of the majority under unchecked democracy.

Holmes: the life of the law

A phrase from Holmes's writings asserting that law evolves from experience more than logic.

Lochner v. New York

A 1905 Supreme Court case in which Holmes dissented, criticizing the majority's economic libertarianism.

Tradition-haunted artists

A metaphor for thinkers like Holmes, shaped by tradition even as they challenged it.

Germany's ineffective legislature

A political system Holmes viewed skeptically for its lack of checks and vibrant legal tradition.

Holmes's continuing influence

His pragmatism and skepticism shaped American legal realism and modern jurisprudence.

Due Process cases

Legal battles over the 14th Amendment's protection of rights; Holmes often dissented in favor of judicial restraint.

Holmes's conception of law

A view of law as evolving through society's needs rather than fixed moral absolutes.

Law as a "magic mirror"

Holmes's image of law as reflecting the dominant prejudices and ideals of its time.

One rule of war

Holmes's notion that clarity and decisiveness are necessary in both warfare and legal decisions.

Political consequences of relativism

The idea that denying moral absolutes could undermine political cohesion and justice.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights; she championed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Charles Malik

A Lebanese philosopher and diplomat who played a major role in drafting the Declaration, emphasizing moral clarity.

Alfred North Whitehead

Philosopher cited by Malik for his views on education and the moral foundations of freedom.

Commission on Human Rights

The UN body tasked with drafting and promoting human rights post-WWII.

Julian Huxley

First director of UNESCO; emphasized the cultural and scientific foundations of human rights.

UNESCO

United Nations agency for education, science, and culture, advancing human rights through knowledge and exchange.

Richard McKeon

American philosopher and UNESCO delegate who contributed to debates on pluralism and cultural relativism.

Jacques Maritain

A Catholic philosopher who argued for universal human rights grounded in natural law.

Tangential uses of a declaration

Strategic political uses of the Declaration to set global norms even without legal force.

Political minefields

Obstacles such as Cold War tensions and national interests that complicated consensus.

Palestinian crisis

A contentious issue complicating discussions of rights and sovereignty during the Declaration's drafting.

René Cassin

French jurist and key drafter of the Declaration, emphasizing dignity and legal clarity.

Psychology of individualism

The modern tendency toward self-centeredness that Malik saw as a challenge to moral unity.

Malik's four principles

Key moral tenets Malik believed essential: truth, justice, love, and freedom.

Personhood

The concept of the individual as inherently valuable, central to both philosophical and legal human rights frameworks.

Social and economic rights

Rights to housing, education, and work included in the Declaration's broader vision of dignity.

Civil and political rights

Core freedoms such as speech, religion, and participation in government.

Peng-chun Chang

Chinese delegate who introduced Confucian ideas and helped shape the language of consensus in the Declaration.

Second generation rights

Economic, social, and cultural rights that go beyond civil liberties to address quality of life.

ECOSOC

UN Economic and Social Council overseeing the Commission on Human Rights.

Need for decent people in politics

A theme emphasized by both Malik and Roosevelt—ethical character as essential for governance.

John Humphrey

Canadian jurist who prepared the first draft of the Declaration and helped organize its legal structure.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The 1948 document declaring fundamental human rights for all people, regardless of nationality.