Ap Gov chapter 4 definitions

American Dream

the widespread belief that the United states is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success

Liberalism

A belief in the positive uses of government to bring about justice and equality of opportunity

Conservatism

A belief that limited government ensures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people

Political Ideology

A consistent pattern beliefs about political values and the role of government

Social Capital

Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations.

Socialism

An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production and pricing of goods and services

Libertarianism

An ideology tat cherishes individual liberty and insists on a sharply limited government, promoting a free market economy, a non-interventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in the moral and social spheres.

Environmentalism

An ideology that is dominated by concern for the environment but also promotes grassroots democracy, social justice, equal opportunity, nonviolence, respect for diversity, and feminism.

Monopoly

Domination of an industry by a single company by fixing prices and discouraging competition; also, the company that dominates the industry by these means.

Antitrust Legislation

Federal laws(staring with the Sherman Act of 1890) that try to prevent a monopoly from dominating an industry and restraining trade.

Majority Rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority

Natural Right

The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.

Political Culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to government and to one another.

Democratic Consensus

Widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that undergird them