Government flashcards

Government definition

The institution through which a society makes and enforces political policies

Who determined who controls the government?

Politics and the competition for power

All nations posses

population, sovereignty, territory, government

Thomas Hobbes

An English philosopher known for his social contract theory, which argued that the legitimacy of government comes from the consent of the governed, as expressed in his work "Leviathan."

Jean Jacques Rousseau

A French philosopher who also contributed to social contract theory, arguing that individuals achieve true freedom by participating in the collective will of the general public, as detailed in his work "The Social Contract."

John Locke

An English philosopher who argued that the protection of individual rights to life, liberty, and property is the primary purpose of government, as outlined in his work "Two Treatises of Government."

Magna Carta

A charter signed in 1215 that established the principle of limited government and required the king to respect certain legal rights of his subjects, laying the foundation for modern democracy.

English Bill of rights

A landmark act passed in 1689 that limited the powers of the monarchy, guaranteed certain civil liberties, and established parliamentary sovereignty in England.

Dictatorship

Government has control of individuals lives and determines nations policy

Autocracy

One individual controls the governmentlO

Oligarchy

Several people control the government

Autocract

Elite control the government

Theocracy

Religious leaders control the government

Monarchy

Royal family control government

Democracy

Individuals control government through majority rule (popular sovereignty).

Direct Democracy

Individuals make policies/laws themselves

Indirect Democracy

Individuals vote for reps who make laws/policies