Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Chapter 2 StudyStack
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| limited government | the idea that government is restricted in what it may do and that every individual has certain rights that government cannot remove |
| representative government | the idea that government should both serve and be guided by the will of the people |
| Magna Carta | the Great Charter signed in 1215 that limited the powers of the English king and guaranteed certain fundamental rights |
| Due Process | protection against the unjust taking of life, liberty, or property |
| Petition of Right | a document signed in 1628 that required the English king to obey the law of the land and increased the influence of Parliament |
| English Bill of Rights | a document signed in 1689 that required free elections and guaranteed many basic rights, such as due process and trial by jury, to all English citizens |
| Charter | a written grant of authority from the king |
| Bicameral | having two houses, as in a two-house legislature |
| Proprietary | the name given to colonies organized and governed according to the will of a proprietor, a person granted land and authority by the king |
| Unicameral | having only one house, as in a one house legislature |
| Ordered Government | Local governments should be divided into units and ruled by officers according to law. |
| Limited Gvoernment | Individual citizens have basic rights There are limits on government power |
| Representative Government | Government should serve the will of the people. In other words, people should have a say in what the government does or does not do. |
| Government | the institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies |
| Public Policies | all the things a government decides to do |
| Legislative Power | the power to make laws |
| Executive Power | the power to enforce and administer laws |
| Judicial Power | the power to interpret laws |
| Dictatorship | a government in which all power rests with an individual or small group |
| Democracy | a government in which supreme authority rests with the people |
| State | a body of people, living in a defined territory, with a government that can make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority |
| Sovereign | to have supreme and absolute power within a territory |
| Divine Right | the theory that governments gain their authority from the will of God |
| Government has three basic types of power | Legislative power, Executive power, and judicial power |
| State has four basic characteristics | Population, territory, sovereignty, and a government |
| Sovereignty | the absolute power within its own territory to decide domestic and foreign policies. |
| Force Theory | holds that an individual or group claims control over a territory and forces the population to submit. |
| Evolutionary Theory | says that a population formed out of primitive families. |
| Divine Right | holds that God created the state, making it sovereign |
| Social Contract theory | This theory holds that the people chose to give the state enough power to promote the well-being of everyone and that all political power comes from the will of the people. |
| Purpose of Government | Domestic Tranquility, nations defense, General Welfare, secure the blessings of liberty |
| Autocracy | government in which a single person holds all political power |
| Oligarchy | government in which a small, usually self-appointed group has the sole power to rule |
| Unitary Government | a government in which all power belongs to one central agency |
| Federal Government | a government in which power is divided between one central and several local governments |
| Division of powers | the split of power between central and local governments |
| confederation | an alliance of independent states |
| presidential government | a government with separate executive and legislative branches |
| parliamentary government | a government in which the executive branch is part of the legislative branch and subject to its control |
| Pure Democracy | the people pass laws by discussing and voting on them in meetings, such as town meetings. This system works only in small communities. |
| Representative democracy | the people elect agents who make and carry out the laws. These representatives rule with the consent of the governed and can be removed by the people at election time. |
| Constitutional monarchy | Most power lies with the Parliament, which is elected by the people. The queen is the head of state, while the head of government is the Prime Minister, who is the head of the leading party in Parliament. |
| Constitution-based federal republic | The President and members of Congress are chosen by the people. The President is both Chief of State and Head of Government. |
| Autocracy and obligarchy | In an autocracy, one person holds total political power, while in an oligarchy a small elite group shares political power. Both are forms of dictatorships, holding absolute and unchallenged authority over the people, who have no say in government. |
| Dictatorships | are like that of China, where people can vote only for candidates from one political party and the legislature does whatever the dictatorship says. |
| Unitary Government | all power belongs to the central government, which may grant some powers to local governments. The powers of the central government may be limited or unlimited. Most governments in the world are unitary in form. |
| Federal Government | power is divided between a central government and several local governments, usually according to a constitution. The U.S. and some 25 other states have federal forms of government. |
| Confederate Government | is an alliance of independent governments that grant limited powers, usually involving defense or foreign affairs, to a central government. The European Union is similar to a confederation. |
| Presidential Government | divides executive and legislative power between two branches. The details of this separation of powers are spelled out in a constitution. |
| Parliamentary Government | the legislature chooses the executive, which is part of the legislature and under its control. Lacks checks and balance Prime minister leads |
| Majority Rules | the principle that the will of the majority controls the actions of government |
| Compromise | the process of blending and adjusting competing views and interests |
| Citizen | one who holds certain rights and responsibilities within a state |
| Free Enterprise system | an economic system characterized by the private ownership of capital goods, private investment, and a competitive marketplace that determines success or failure |
Created by:
Winkler22
Popular American Government sets