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Intro to Government
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Force Theory | government was created by force |
Evolutionary Theory | a primitive family where one person was the head of the family is the ruler |
Divine Right Theory | God created the state and gave those of divine birth the right to rule |
Social Contact Theory | a government is created and the people sign a contract between them and the government giving up power |
Autocracy | a system of government by one person with absolute power; North Korea |
Confederation | an organization which consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league; European Union |
Democracy | a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives; United States |
Oligarchy | a small group of people having control, organization, or institution; China |
Parliamentary | a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch derives its legitmacy from and is accountable to the legislature; England |
Presidential | a democratic and republican form of government in which the executive and legislative branches are separated; United States |
Unitary | a kind of government system in which a single power, which is known as the central government, controls the government; China |
Federal | composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial; United States |
Three categorizations of government | state, nation, and country |
Six purposes of government | to form a perfect union, to guarantee civil rights and liberties, to promote the general welfare of citizens, to establish justice (the law must be reasonable, fair, and impartial), to ensure domestic tranquility (order), and to provide for common defense |
Four characteristics of a state | people, territory, government, and sovereignty |
Characteristics of Democracy | equal opportunity, majority rules/representatives, free and open elections, chosen candidates and loyal opposition |
Essential Elements of Democracy | participative citizens, growing economies, educated public, and a network of voluntary organizations |