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USG Chapter 1
Question | Answer |
---|---|
the formal structures and institutions through which decisions are made for a body of people | government |
the government’s authority and ability to get things done | power |
any decision made by government in pursuit of a particular goal | policy |
a political community made up by a group of people that lives within a clearly defined territory | state |
the supreme power of the state to act within its territory | sovereignty |
the process by which government makes and carries out decisions as to whose interests will be served in society | politics |
when rulers are seen as right and proper by important segments of a nation’s population | legitimacy |
a theory put forth by Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet that the king is answerable only to God, not the people he ruled | divine right of kings |
theory of rule that says the first governments formed as a result of people agreeing among themselves to submit to the authority of a state, which in turn would protect and support them | social contract theory |
a system of government headed by one person, such as a king or queen, who exercises absolute authority | monarchy |
a system of rule in which one person, a dictator, or a small group of people can hold unlimited power over government | dictatorship |
a dictatorship led by a small group of people; means “rule by a few” | oligarchy |
a system of government in which citizens meet regularly in a popular assembly to discuss issues and vote for leaders | direct democracy |
an indirect form of democracy that places political decision making at least one step away from the people; instead, people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf | republic |
a system of government in which sovereignty, or ultimate authority, rests in a single national government | unitary system |
a system of government in which power over people and territory is divided between a national government and smaller, regional levels of government | federal system |
a system of government in which a confederation of independent states form a central government to pursue common interests | confederal system |
a system of government distinguished by having a president who is elected by the people for a limited term of office | presidential system |
a system of government in which the legislative and executive branches are combined | parliamentary system |
a conception of something in its most perfect form | ideal |
the ability of people to act and think as they choose, as long as their choices do no harm to the liberty or well-being of others | liberty |
the principle that all people possess a fundamental, moral worth that entitles them to fair treatment under the law and equal opportunity in all aspects of life | equality |
the belief that ordinary people could aspire to rule themselves and do so as political equals | self-government |
a decision-making system in which the candidate who receives more than half the votes cast, or more votes than any other candidate, wins the election | majority rule |
the political rights held by groups who make up less than half of the population | minority rights |
a form of democracy that protects the rights of the minority | liberal democracy |
an economic system in which people and businesses make their own choices about how best to produce, distribute, and exchange goods and services, with limited interference from the government | free enterprise |