1.1 - 1.4 Quiz: Foundations of Government - Caydan Jonasch

Where does the word democracy come from?

(Greek) Demos= People, Kratos= Power

Constitutional Monarchy

A King or Queen is the official head of state but power is limited by a constitution.

State

A body of people living in a defined territory, often called a nation or country.

Federal Government

A central government and several local governments which share governmental powers in a division of powers.

What might a citizen say in the presence of a sovereign ruler? Why?

A citizen may only say things which pleases the ruler since a sovereign leader obtains lots of power and no trust with the government. However, a citizen can represent their thoughts and ideas before the sovereign leader.

Mercantilism

A economic and political theory emphasizing money as the chief source of wealth to increase the absolute power of the monarchy and the nation

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders.

What is the government's role in the free enterprise system?

A government's role in the free enterprise system is to regulate monopolies that harm the well being of other businesses and consumers. In addition, the government must pass economic laws and regulations.

Majority Rule

A group of majority that has the power to make decisions and respect the rights of any minority.

Feudalism

A loosely organized system in which powerful lords divided their land among other, lesser lords.

Citizen

A member of a country who has duties and responsibilities and must obey the law.

What is the difference between a state and a nation?

A nation is a particular group of people that share common characteristics with shared culture or values. A state, however, features a sovereign government, as well as territory, government and population.

Dictatorship

A person or group who exercises all the powers in a government.

Oligarchy

A small elite in which they have the power to rule.

Legitmacy

A society's belief that their ruler or government has the right to rule.

Why is a written constitution important for governing a state?

A written constitution is important so that power does not get out of hand because if rulers keep establishing new rules, eventually they will want more power to themselves (checks and balances).

How might an aspiring leader challenge another leader's authority?

An aspiring leader may challenge another leader's authority in order to benefit themselves and be more likable among people because of their influence.

free enterprise system

An economic system based on private ownership, individual initiative, profit, and competition.

What would an illegitimate government look like?

An illegitimate government could lead to sovereignty and dictatorship, with citizens possibly being kept under surveillance in order to monitor them closely. A civil uprising or protests could potentially develop beforehand.

How does the U.S. constitutional republic compare to authoritarian forms of government?

Authoritarian forms of government have absolute power and control over all social and political lives. The U.S constitutional republic also has power, but it is handed to the people (form of democracy).

How did the structure of the government support "absolute monarchies?"

Because absolute monarchies had ultimate power and authority (head of state and government), they also protected their country from harm and created a defensive force. Therefore, the feudal system worked because lower classes would be granted protection by upper classes and, as a result, serve them.

What are some examples of each pillar?

Business ownership is an example of private ownership; starting a business. Individuals can also play the role of a consumer in a capitalist system and purchase products. By selling or purchasing products, a capitalist can potentially earn a high profit using capital goods such as tools, wages, or machinery. An example of competition could be among sellers of products or services.

What conflict helped spark democracy in ancient Athens?

By the end of the 16th century, Athens could no longer tolerate the vindictive regime of the Tyrants. They were expelled by a group of aristocrats who began fighting among themselves.

Why might indirect democracy be better for a larger population?

Citizens are allowed to vote for representatives in an indirect democracy, who later create the laws of government on their behalf. Therefore, the majority of people are also allowed to engage in trade or commerce by having an indirect democracy.

How many sovereign states are there in the United States?

Each state in the United States is a sovereign state in its own constitutional domain.

What is described as a part of every democracy?

Equality and people having the authority to deliberate and decide legislation.

How does a government's reaction differ to their expressions of will?

Every form of government is different in its own way; either by having a monarchy, democratic form, unitary, etc. By having an indirect democracy, a small group of people who act as representatives express popular will. Direct democracy is where the will of the people must vote on policy issues directly instead of electing politicians to do it on their behalf.

How did prior forms of sovereignty lead to the development of the United States and its constitution?

Evolving from Athenian democracy, citizens were allowed to vote and be elected as decision-makers, organizers, judges, and speak their mind. When monarchs had begun obtaining power, the modern state was emerging and became an inspiration for the United States government.

Why is geographical distribution of power important in the United States?

Geographical distribution of power can be changed by the country's citizens and, as a result, are protected by the state government through the use of the federal government (these governments' powers are distributed).

Sovereign

Having absolute power within a territory.

How is a government conducted under a dictatorship? How does a dictatorship different from a democracy?

In a dictatorship, a government controls every element of people's lives and all aspects of a state. A dictatorship is when one person has all power on what a government should do, whereas a democracy is when people have a say on what the government should do.

What does Locke say about the power that the people of a society possess? What does he argue is the people's relationship to their government concerning this power?

John Locke argues that a government should be limited in order to protect its citizens and their right to liberty and property. In other words, to Locke, citizens should have several rights by a limited government. If the government had absolute power, people wouldn't have the same natural rights to life.

What does Locke say is the duty of government?

Locke says that the duty of government is to secure and promote public good, hold their power only with the consent of the people, and have natural rights of life, liberty, and property.

What major economic factor led to towns and marketplaces becoming commonplace throughout Europe?

One major economic factor that gave rise to mercantilism was wealth. For example, trade depended on money, and money came to occupy greater importance on the political side. In other words, wealth was the essence of economic activities which also made the country strong.

Autocracy

One person holding unlimited political power.

How much power should the government have in order to protect me?

Our government should have enough power to protect and serve us, but not more than enough since it could be abused. For example, having too much power could lead to dictatorship and corruption, but having a lack of power wouldn't protect us either since our government does a variety of work for the welfare of humans.

Do you agree with Locke's assertion that "The reason why men enter into society is the preservation of their property"? Explain your reasoning.

Personally, I would agree with Locke's assertion. For example, without an organized injustice, there would be no way to punish crime. With social justice, it promotes fairness between the government and its citizens as well as equality across many aspects of society.

What type of things did Athens develop?

Philosophy, theater, and a great political idea.

Communist State Dictatorship

Political system where one individual essentially holds complete political power within the communist system.

Which best describes the distribution of power in the United States?

Since a federal government divides power between central and several local governments, this diagram best describes power in the United States. This also explains how the national and state governments obtain some sort of power since federalism limits power.

What kind of power was available to Roman Plebeians?

Since plebeians were part of the legislative assembly, they had the right to participate and be involved in politics and were allowed to elect representatives. In fact, plebeians could potentially be elected to the senate and be consuls since they obtained lots of power and wealth in Ancient Rome.

How would slaves be acquired?

Slaves would be kept under twenty-four survelliance in watchtowers (prisoners of war).

What approaches are used by rulers to gain legitimacy?

Some approaches that rulers use to gain legitimacy is by following tradition or customs, divine power of kings, public elections, or following the rule of law.

What aspects of Locke's Treatises likely affected the events leading to the founding of America?

Some events that were likely influenced from Locke's Treatises is his political theory of government called "Natural Law", which also led to the founding of America.

Democracy

Supreme authority over government that rests with the public.

What are the Iroquois influences on the American government?

The Iroquois had many states under one central power which helped spark the spread of democratic institutions and our country's representative Democracy. The six nations also helped spark the thirteen colonies, which was a group of Settlements that became the original states of the United States of America.

Power

The ability to get people to behave in certain ways even when people don't want to behave in those ways; the ability to rule.

Divine Right of Kings

The belief that God granted monarchs the right to rule.

Compromise

The blending and adjusting of competing interests.

Colonialism

The control of one nation over lands abroad.

Division of powers

The division of the legislative, executive, and judicial functions of government, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities.

How is the executive branch related to the legislative branch?

The executive and legislative branch are both similar since they are independent and coequal. In addition, the executive and legislative branches are made up of the same elected officials in a parliamentary government.

Why might there be tension in the economy between the government and private enterprise?

The government and private enterprise have tension with each other since they differ from one another. For example, a private enterprise does not rely on the government, so political capitalism would influence the government's economic policies to use profit, regulation, competition, etc. On the other hand, the government can affect the private sector economy by increasing wages or employment level.

Government

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

What is the most important feature of a democracy?

The most important feature and characteristic of a democracy is respect for basic human rights, a free and fair election held (effective participation), and having the right to express ideas and opinions openly on public forums.

Legislative power

The power to establish law

Constitution-based federal republic

The president and members of congress are chosen by the people (democracy).

Authority

The right to rule

Which of the theories best describes the origin of the United States? Why?

The social contract theory best describes the origins of the United States since the majority of the population created a sovereign state and established a democracy. For example, since power was handed to the government by a particular group of people within a designated area, this explains how the state has power and authority over territory.

How does the sovereignty of a State in the U.S compare to the national sovereignty of the U.S as a whole?

The sovereignty of a state in the U.S must have absolute power since they are part of a country that has federal laws since they are in charge of interstate and foreign commerce. The United States as a whole is a sovereign state since it's an independent nation and governed by american people.

Sovereignty

The supreme and ultimate power or authority within a territory.

What was the ultimate goal that drove monarchs to colonize and to establish international trade routes?

Though monarchs already obtained these factors, they wanted to acquire much more wealth and power through Mercantilism and established international trade routes to get to other foreign countries.

How did trade routes help spread European colonies?

Trade routes helped ship natural resources, goods, and raw materials. People wanted these goods, so they were willing to travel to get them. Besides goods, people also shared knowledge and ideas in some cases.

Why do we cherish ancient Athens?

We cherish ancient Athens as the first free and equal society.

How does widespread access to education promote the general welfare?

With more education, it creates a better government and a government that does its job better will be better to people. To elaborate, more education means more voters or political and local leaders in the future.

Why were women in Athens discriminated against and what was the outward symbol of their restriction?

Women weren't just unequal, but were believed to be demonic and needed to be controlled and visibly restricted. A married woman must also be the possession of the man.

What three roles could a citizen of Athens potentially serve?

You can either propose a law, vote for law, and potentially be a juror.

What is the Iroquois Confederacy?

a group of Native American nations in eastern North America joined together under one general government. the Iroquois Confederacy played a major Role and inspiration for our country and inspired many philosophers. In other words, the primary Purpose of Iroquois Confederacy let the individual nations run their own affairs and tribal groups (origin of our representative democracy).

Unitary Government

a single, central agency holds all governmental powers.

Public Policies

all the things a government decides to do

Confederation

an alliance of independent states.

Communist State

country whose government has strong control over the economy and society as a whole

Presidential Government

divides power between the branches of government.

Parliamentary Government

focuses power on the legislative branch.

Executive power

the power to carry out laws

Judicial Power

the power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society