POLS Week 3: Republic, Federalism, and Ideologies (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on republicanism, federalism, civil rights history, ideological thought, and political economy.

Republic (Republicanism)

A form of government where power is vested in elected representatives; Rome’s success was attributed to republicanism, with a mix of assemblies, the Senate, and consuls, paralleling a separation of powers in the United States.

Separation of powers

Dividing government responsibilities among different branches to prevent concentration of power, similar to checks and balances in the US and the Roman model.

Federalists

Advocates for a stronger national government to guard against mob rule; leaders included Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and like-minded figures.

Democratic-Republicans (Republicans)

Advocates for states’ rights and limited federal power; led by Madison, Jefferson, and others who argued for protecting state authority over national interests.

Common Man

A political era emphasizing increased participation and rights for ordinary citizens, including property ownership, literacy, and civic engagement.

Federalism

A political system in which governing authority is divided between a national government and its subordinate units (states); enables laboratories of democracy and policy diffusion.

Enumerated powers

Powers explicitly granted to the federal government in the Constitution.

Reserved powers

Powers reserved to the states, not delegated to the federal government.

Supremacy Clause

Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the supreme law of the land; federal law overrides state law where conflicts occur.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Requires states to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states; Congress can regulate its operation.

Dual Federalism

A system where federal and state governments have clearly separated and distinct powers.

Cooperative Federalism

A system in which the federal government uses positive sanctions to align and harmonize public policy across levels.

Regulated Federalism

A system in which the federal government uses negative sanctions to harmonize public policy.

Horizontal Federalism

Efforts to harmonize the actions, institutions, and laws of the various states (as coordinated under Article IV).

15th Amendment

Gave African American men the right to vote (1870); aimed to prohibit racial discrimination in voting.

Jim Crow laws

State and local laws enforcing racial segregation and disenfranchisement of Black people across the U.S.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Supreme Court decision upholding racial segregation under the doctrine of "separate but equal".

Mendez v. Westminster (1964)

Federal court case challenging school segregation of Mexican American students, a precursor to Brown v. Board.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court ruling that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional; declared that separate facilities are inherently unequal.

Little Rock Nine

1957 integration case where federal force aided the enrollment of Black students at a previously all-white school.

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Law prohibiting racial discrimination in voting and enhancing federal oversight of election practices.

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote in the United States (1920).

Patriarchy

Social system in which men hold primary power and dominate in political, social, and economic life; can restrict women's participation.

LGBTQIA+

A community including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, and other identities facing discrimination and rights issues.

Political ideology

A comprehensive set of beliefs about politics and society that guides people’s goals and preferred methods for achieving them.

Conservatism

A philosophy favoring slow or no change, stability, tradition, and a suspicion of rapid reform.

Burkean traditional conservatism

A traditional form of conservatism emphasizing ordered liberty and the protection of social fabric from upheaval by limiting unchecked capitalism.

Individualist conservatism

Conservatism emphasizing individual liberty, competition, and skepticism of excessive government.

Neoconservatism

Conservatism often combining concerns about welfare programs with support for a strong defense and proactive foreign policy.

Religious Right

A movement among Evangelical Christians seeking government involvement in social life and policy aligned with their religious values.

Classical liberalism

Liberalism rooted in rationality, self-interest, and limited government; emphasizes freedom and individual rights.

Means of production

The physical means used to produce goods: land, facilities, machinery, tools, and raw materials.

Labor

The human effort used in the production process.

Labor power

The capacity of people to work and produce value.

Forces of production

Combined means of production and labor power that drive production.

Relations of production

Social and technical relationships governing production, including class relations.

Mode of production

The overall system combining forces and relations of production to organize economic life.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, competition, and market-driven production; benefits include productivity and choices; detriments include externalities, inequality, and cycles of crises.

Externalities

Uncompensated effects of economic activity on third parties not directly involved in the transaction.

Class conflict

A driver of historical change wherein conflicts between social classes reshape economic and political order.

Marxist-Leninist Socialism

Socialism advocating revolutionary overthrow with a vanguard party to establish a socialist-leaning society and transition to communism.

Democratic socialism

Socialism achieved through democratic means within existing institutions, emphasizing welfare provisions.

Welfare state

A system where the government provides extensive social programs (healthcare, housing, education, poverty alleviation) to address social needs.