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52 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Government
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the institution through which a society makes and enforces public policies and laws and the people who do it.
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Public Policy
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All of the many goals that a government pursues in all of the many areas of human affairs in which it is involved
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Legislative Power
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The power to make law and to frame public policies
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Executive Power
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Power to execute, enforce, and administer law
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Judicial Power
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The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes within the society
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Constitution
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The body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government
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Dictatorship
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Government in which one person or a small group holds complete authority
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Democracy
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Government in which the supreme authority and power lies with the people
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Politics
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the process by which a society decides how power and resources will be distributed within that society; it's neither good nor bad. . . such value judgments may be applied by individuals to describe particular applications by individuals
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State
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term generally used in legal context to describe a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically (as in with a government), and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.
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Country
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synonym for state generally used in geographic context, referring to a particular place, region, or area of land
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Nation
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synonym for state generally used in ethnic context, referring to races or other large groups of people
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Population
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the people living under the governance of a state; may be homogeneous, sharing the same customs, a common language, and ethnic background, or diverse (different in background)
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Identity
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the distinctive characteristic belonging to any given individual or shared by all members of a particular social category or group; although the American population is diverse, people identify as Americans
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Sovereign
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Having supreme and absolute power within its own territory and deciding its own foreign and domestic policies
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Thomas Hobbes
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English philosopher associated with SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY; he called the STATE OF NATURE (life without government) "the war of every man against every man," in which there would be "continual fear and danger of violent death" and LIFE would be "solidary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"; thus, government is organized with men to escape chaos and establish order, which is the necessary context for a secure life
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State of Nature
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life without government, in which (according to Hobbes) "the war of every man against every man," in which there would be "continual fear and danger of violent death" and LIFE would be "solidary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"
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Theories of the Origin of Government
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Force, Evolution, Divine Right, and Social Contract
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Force Theory
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holds that government was born of force when one person or a small group claimed control over an area and forced all within to submit to that person's or that group's rule or sovereign government over the population and territory
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Evolutionary Theory
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holds that the state developed naturally out of the early family, in which one person was the head and thus the government; over time, the family became a network of families or clan; over time clans became tribes; when the first tribe gave up its nomadic ways and turned to agriculture, the state was born
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Divine Right Theory
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held that God created the state and gave those with royal birth a "divine right" to rule; the people were bound to obey their ruler as they would God and opposition was both treason and mortal sin; theory was widely accepted in the Western world from the 15th through the 18th centuries; much thought about present day democracy began as a challenge to the theory of divine right
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Social Contract Theory
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(most significant theory in relation to American democracy) Enlightenment theory which hold that, in order to escape the chaos of the state of nature - in which NO authority existed to protect one man from another's aggression-- man organized government by means of a contractual arrangement, giving up voluntarily to the state as much power as necessary to establish ORDER and protect the SECURITY --safety and well-being -- of all; in the CONTRACT or CONSTITUTION, the members of the STATE created a GOVERNMENT to exercise those powers; theory developed by philosophers including Thomas Hobbes, James Harrington, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau
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Purpose of Government
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according to the Preamble of the Constitution, they are to (1) form a more perfect union, (2) establish justice, (3) insure domestic tranquility, (4) provide for the common defense, (5) promote the general welfare, and (6) secure the blessings of liberty
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Liberty
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According to Thomas Jefferson, "the God who gave us life gave us ___ at the same time" and "eternal vigilance is the price of ____"; according to Ben Franklin, "They that can give up essential ____ to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither ____ nor safety."
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The Second Treatise of Civil Government
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(1690) written by John Locke to explain social contract theory and the responsibilities of government; he claimed that people have the right to overthrow an unjust government; greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and other Founders
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Autocracy
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A form of government in which a single person holds unlimited political power (e.g., Hitler in Nazi Germany; Stalin in the Soviet Union)
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Oligarchy
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A form of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite (think guys with guns and money).
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Classification of Governments
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(1) by geographic distribution of power, (2) by relationship of legislative and executive, and (3) by number who may participate
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Geographic Distribution of Power
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classifications of government on this basis are (1) unitary, (2) federal, and (3) confederate
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Relationship of Legislative and Executive
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classifications of government on this basis are (1) parliamentary and (2) presidential
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Number Who May Participate
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classifications of government on this basis are (1) autocratic and (2) democratic
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Unitary Government
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A centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency.
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Federal Government
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A form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments; key term: DIVISION OF POWERS.
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Division of Powers
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FEDERALISM; The constitutional provisions by which governmental powers are divided on a geographic basis
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Confederation
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form of government which is an alliance of independent states; power resides with regional members rather than central government; weak and inefficient because all a member must do to subvert the central government is passively resist it, refusing to cooperate (do nothing); rare; e.g., U.S. under the Articles of Confederation and CSA during Civil War (closest modern example: European Union)
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Presidential Government
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A form of government in which the executive and legislative branches of the government are separate, independent, and coequal; e.g., the United States
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Parliamentary Government
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A form of government in which the executive is a subset of the legislature; the executive branch is made up of the prime minister or premier, and his/her cabinet; e.g., the United Kingdom
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Propaganda
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information -either true or false--_intended to persuade people to think or act in a certain way; usually a one-sided explanation or opinion
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Propaganda Techniques
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(1) celebrity testimonials, (2) multiple identities, (3) the bandwagon argument, (4) name calling, and (5) scare tactics
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Celebrity Testimonials
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using endorsements from famous people to try to persuade; Mr. Action Hero says, "Vote for X; he's my choice."
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Multiple Identities
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claiming to be just like you, no matter who you are. "I am one of you. I share your beliefs and concepts."
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The Bandwagon Argument
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Urging you to follow the crowd, the majority: "A is voting for me. So are B, C, and D. Why not you, too?"
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Name Calling
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attacking and labeling the opposition instead of discussing the issues: "My opponent is un-American."
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Scare Tactics
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Using words of pictures to persuade people to act out of fear of consequences, real or perceived: "A vote for my opponent will destroy our children's future."
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Five Basic Concepts of Democracy
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(1) A recognition of the FUNDAMENTAL WORTH & DIGNITY of every person, (2) a respect for the EQUALITY of all persons, (3) a faith in MAJORITY RULE with insistence on MINORITY RIGHTS, (4) an acceptance of the necessity of COMPROMISE, and (5) an insistence on the widest possible degree of INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM
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Compromise
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the process of blending and adjusting competing views and interests; essential to democracy for 2 reasons: (1) method by which free individuals with different interests reach public policy decisions; (2) most questions of public policy can be answered in many different ways (most issues are not two-sided, but rather multi-faceted
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Equality
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in a democracy, people are entitled to (1) equality of OPPORTUNITY and (2) equality BEFORE THE LAW; communism, not democracy) argues for equality of CONDITION
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Satisfactory Solution
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majority rule does not guarantee the "right" or "best" solution; it just gives the one that most people can accept
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Free Enterprise System
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An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments that are determined by private decision rather than by state control, and determined in a free market
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Law of supply and demand
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when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop; when supplies are in shortage, prices tend to rise
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Mixed Economy
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an economy I which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion
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Citizen
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member of a state who holds certain rights and responsibilities within that state.
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