Intro to Political Science CH 1-3 – Flashcards
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Who gets what, when, and how; a process of determining how power and resources are distributed in a society without resorting to violence.
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politics
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the ability to get other people to do what you want. - significant to politics because politics is centered around who gets power and how they get it.
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power
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the way we organize and live our collective lives. -significant to politics because politics is all about who gets the power, which in turn gives them the ability to say how people live.
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social order
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accepted as right or proper
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legitimate
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a system or organization for exercising authority over a body of people -significant to politics because this authority is power, which is the center point of politics, and if that authority changes, so does the political system
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government
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power that is recognized as legitimate
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authority
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directives that specify how resources will be distributed or what procedures govern collective activity -significant to politics because the rules are the "how they get it" and also frequently the What
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rules
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organizations in which governmental power is exercised -politically significant because institutions are the Where, the places in which people get what they want. i.e. congress, the Presidency, the courts.
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institutions
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production and distribution of a society's material resources and services. -politically significant because if you control the production of a mass needed good, then you hold a lot of power which is the center of politics.
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economics
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an economic system in which the market determines production, distribution, and price decisions, and property is privately owned. -politically significant because in this scenario the people hold all the power. They're the ones who get "what" and they get it easily because of this system. They do not trust their government, and so this a one-sided political system.
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capitalist economy
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an economic system in which the market makes all decisions and the government plays no role. -politically significant because on this scenario the government has no control. The basically hold all the power, meaning they run rampant and take what they want. There are no real examples because this is not plausible. There is no real political system.
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laissez-faire capitalism
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a market system in which the government intervenes to protect rights and make procedural guarantees. -politically significant because this is the system of our own country. The people and the government share the power, and for the most part, people view this as a fair compromise.
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regulated capitalism
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government assurance that the rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly with no promise of particular outcomes. -politically significant because these guarantees are what the people want, and if the government doesn't uphold them people get angry and it would disturb the political system.
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procedural guarantees
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an economic system in which the state determines production, distribution, and price decisions, and property is government owned. -politically significant because in this scenario the government holds all the power. The people are more looked at as subjects than actual citizens because everything about their life is controlled. example: North Korea
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socialist economy
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government assurance of particular outcomes or results -politically significant because this is the What people or the government get but they do not care how they get it, only that they do. This could get pretty politically ugly due to greediness
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substantive guarentees
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a hybrid system combining a capitalist economy that supports equality _politically significant because this is sort of the middle ground between socialist and capitalist systems. The government doesn't have too much more or not enough.
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social democracy
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system in which the state holds all power over the social order -politically significant because politics is centered around who holds the power. In this case it is the state and the people are viewed as subjects rather than actual citizens.
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authoritarian governments
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a system in which absolute power is exercised over every aspect of life. -politically significant because this system exercises its power over every aspect of life- economic, social, political, and moral- the individuals are subjects and have no say in who gets what.
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totalitarian
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a system in which that state allows people economic freedom but maintains stringent social regulations to limit noneconomic behavior -politically significant because in this case people economically have freedom but socially, the government controls them.
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authoritarian capitalism
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the absence of government and laws -politically significant because the people have all the freedom. They can take and do whatever they want, which would cause extreme chaos and violence.
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anarchy
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government that vests power in the people -politically significant because in this system democracies try to maximize freedom for individuals and provide procedural guarantees to preserve their rights.
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democracy
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a theory of democracy that limits the citizens role to choosing among competing leaders politically significant because this system allows people to feel as if they are making a difference in order to keep them active in their politics, otherwise it would not work.
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elite democracy
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a theory of democracy that holds that citizen membership in groups is the key to political power
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pluralist democracy
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a theory of democracy that holds that citizens should actively and directly control all aspects of their lives
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participatory democracy
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a system in which a democratic government allows citizens a considerable amount of personal freedom and maintains a free market (though still usually regulated) economy
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advanced industrial democracy
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a utopian system in which property is communally owned and all decisions are made democratically
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communist democracy
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individuals who are obliged to submit to a government authority against which they have no rights
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subjects
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members of a political community with both rights and responsibilities
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citizens
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the principle that earthly rulers receive their authority from god
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divine right of kings
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the notion that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others
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social contract
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a government in which decisions are made through representatives of the people
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republic
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citizens or subjects of one country who moves to another country to live or work
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immigrants
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the legal process of acquiring citizenship for someone who has not acquired it by birth
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naturalization
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protection or sanctuary, especially from political persecution
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asylum
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individuals who flee an area or a country because of persecution on the basis of race, nationality, religion, group membership, or political opinion
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refugees
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the broad pattern of ideas, beliefs, and values about citizens and government held by a population
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political culture
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central ideas, principles, or standards that most people agree are important
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values
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describes beliefs or values about how things should be or what people ought to do rather than what actually is
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normative
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belief that what is good for society is based on what is good for individuals
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individualism
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sets of beliefs about politics and society that help people make sense of their world
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ideologies
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people who generally favor limited government action and view change as progress
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conservatives
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those who favor an expanded government but a limited role in the social order
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economic liberals
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those who favor a strictly procedural government role in the economy and the social order
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economic conservatives
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those who favor a minimal government role in any sphere
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libertarians
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those who favor greater control of the economy and the social order to bring about greater equality and to regulate the effects of progress
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social liberals
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those who favor a strong, substantive government role in the economy and theistical order so that their vision of a community of equals may be realized
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communitarians
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those who endorse limited government control of the economy but considerable government intervention to realize a traditional social order; based on religious values and hierarchy rather than equality
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social conservatives
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a social system in which a rigid social and political hierarchy was based on the ownership of land
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feudalism
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the ownership, for forced labor, of one people by another
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slavery
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a war fought between France and England, and allied Indians, from 1754 to 1763; resulted in France's expulsion from the New World
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French and Indian War
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the concept that the citizens are the ultimate source of political power
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popular sovereignty
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1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine that persuaded many Americans to support the Revolutionary cause
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Common Sense
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the political document that dissolved the colonial ties between the United States and Britain
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Declaration of Independence
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the rules that establish a governement
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constitution
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the first constitution of the United States (1777) creating an association of states with weak central government
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Articles of Confederation
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a government in which independent states unite for common purpose but retain their own sovereignty
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confederation
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the unrestrained power of the people
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popular tyranny
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a grassroots uprising (1787) by armed Massachusetts farmers protesting foreclosures
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Shay's Rebellion
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the assembly of fifty-five delegates in the summer of 1787 to recast the Articles of Confederation; the result was the U.S. Constitution
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Constitutional Convention
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a political system in which power is divided between the central and regional units
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federalism
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supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong central government
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Federalists
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advocates of states' rights who opposed the Constitution
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Anti-Federalists
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a proposal at the Constitutional Convention that congressional representation be based on population, thus favoring the large states
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Virginia Plan
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a proposal at the Constitutional Convention that congressional representation be equal, thus favoring the small states
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New Jersey Plan
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the constitutional solution to congressional representation; equal votes in the Senate, votes by population in the house
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Great Compromise
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the formula for counting five slaves as three people for purposes of representation, which reconciled northern and southern factions at the Constitutional Convention
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Three-Fifths Compromise
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the process through which a proposal is formally approved and adopted by vote
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ratification
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a series of essays written to build support for ratification of the Constitution
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The Federalists Papers
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groups of citizens united by some common passion of interest and opposed to the right of other citizens or to the interests of the whole community
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factions
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a summary of citizen rights guaranteed and protected by a government; added to the Constitution as its first ten amendments in order to achieve ratification
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Bill of Rights
