Comparing forms of governments
How are dictatorships and absolute monarchies similar? A. One leader holds the power, which may lead to greater efficiency or the risk of abuse. B. Power remains in the same family, with the nation's highest office passing from father to son. C. Leaders never face legitimacy problems, because the citizens accept the leaders' right to govern. D. The transition of power from one leader to the next is always smooth and peaceful.
A
Market economies are to individuals as command economies are to A. government planners. B. custom. C. entrepreneurs. D. capitalism.
A
What advantage does a presidential democracy have over a parliamentary democracy? A. The presidential system separates the executive and legislative powers to prevent abuses of power. B. It is much easier to remove an unpopular president from office than to remove a prime minister. C. A president works more efficiently with the legislature because he is from the majority party. D. all of the above
A
What is the difference between a totalitarian regime and an authoritarian regime? A. A totalitarian regime tries to control citizens' lives more fully than an authoritarian regime. B. A totalitarian regime allows private businesses to exist, but an authoritarian regime does not. C. A totalitarian regime is limited by a constitution, while an authoritarian regime is not. D. A totalitarian regime allows for citizen participation; an authoritarian regime does not.
A
In which form of government is power the most centralized? A. federal system B. unitary system C. supranational organizational system D. confederal system
B
What is one difference between a monarch and a dictator? A. A monarch rules with absolute power, while a dictator is limited by a constitution. B. A monarch inherits power, while a dictator seizes it by force. C. A monarch gains his or her position from the parliament, while a dictator is elected by the people. D. A monarch allows religious freedom, while a dictator serves as the nation's top religious leader.
B
What is one disadvantage of a traditional economy? A. The system is unstable with periods of prosperity alternating with periods of recession. B. The standard of living of most people is very low, and most people barely meet their basic needs. C. The market distributes incomes unequally according to how society values what people do. D. Workers have little incentive to work hard, and economic performance suffers.
B
What is the main disadvantage of direct democracy? A. It can be unstable because of the ease of removing a prime minister from power. B. Frequent elections and meetings make it a very time-consuming process for citizens. C. The quality of leadership changes because of the varying quality of hereditary leaders. D. Citizens with differing political views are often completely shut out of the political process.
B
What is the most common form of government today? A. dictatorship B. democracy C. monarchy D. theocracy
B
What was one way in which Nazism differed from communism and fascism? A. Under Nazism, the government owned all land and factories. B. Nazism was built on the myth of racial superiority. C. Nazism gave the dictator supreme power over the nation. D. Under Nazism, all economic activity was for the benefit of the military.
B
Which government is an example of a confederal system of government? A. the United States under the Constitution B. the European Union today C. France during the time of Napoleon D. Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler
B
Which kind of government did the American colonists create when they formed the United States of America? A. absolute monarchy B. constitutional democracy C. direct democracy D. constitutional monarchy
B
A representative democracy is a form of government in which... A. public decisions are made directly by the citizens meeting together in an assembly or by ballot. B. the powers of the monarch are limited by a constitution, either written or unwritten. C. public decisions are made by leaders elected by the citizens to vote according to their interests. D. the state exercises broad control over the lives of its citizens.
C
In a parliamentary democracy, the prime minister is chosen by... A. the voters. B. the monarch. C. the legislative majority. D. the nation's highest court.
C
No nation-states are organized as a confederation today because in such a system, A. states cannot unite for some purposes without also giving up the power to run their own affairs. B. an authoritarian regime is much more likely to emerge. C. the central government is too weak to be effective. D. there is no flexibility for meeting local needs.
C
What drives the production and distribution of goods and services in a free enterprise system? A. customary skills and strategies that have worked for generations B. socialism, communism, and government planners C. the profit motive, economic competition, and supply and demand D. monarchy, theocracy, and parliamentary democracy
C
By definition, a federal system divides power between... A. the major political parties. B. the men and women. C. the monarch and the citizens. D. the national government and the regional governments.
D
In the four factors of production, the word "capital" refers to... A. the money needed to start a business. B. the machinery, buildings, tools, and equipment used to produce goods and services. C. the knowledge and skills that workers bring to their jobs. D. all of the above
D
In what way are the economies of the United States and China similar? A. Both are command economies. B. Both are market economies. C. Both are traditional economies. D. Both are mixed economies.
D
Referendum, initiative, and recall are examples of... A. votes of no confidence. B. parliamentary democracy. C. theocracy. D. direct democracy.
D
Direct Democracy
a democratic form of government in which citizens make public decisions directly, either in a popular assembly or through a popular vote
representive democracy
a democratic form of government in which elected representatives make public decisions on behalf of the citizens
constitutional Democracy
a democratic government based on a written constitution
initiative process
a form of direct democracy in which citizens propose laws and submit them directly to the voters for approval
refrerendum process
a form of direct democracy in which citizens vote to approve or reject laws passed by a legislature
Nazism
a form of totalitarianism and type of fascism, based in part on the myth of racial superiority; developed in Germany before World War II
Theocracy
a government headed by religious leaders
Absolute Monarchy
a government led by a hereditary ruler who claims unlimited powers
Parliament
a legislative assembly in which elected representatives debate and vote on proposed laws
vote of no confidence
a majority vote in parliament showing disapproval of a prime minister's performance; such a vote prompts new elections and a change of leadership
Republic
a nation in which supreme power rests with the citizens and is exercised by their elected representatives
single-party state
a nation-state in which only one political party is allowed to rule under the constitution
confederal system
a political system in which independent states form a nation but retain their power under a weak central government
unitary system
a political system in which the constitution concentrates power in the national, or central, government
Presidential Democracy
a political system in which voters choose a president to lead the government as head of the executive branch
Parlimentary Democracy
a political system in which voters elect lawmakers to represent them in the nation's parliament; the elected lawmakers choose a prime minister to head the executive branch
elite
a small group of people within a larger group who have more power, wealth, or talent than the others
City-State
a sovereign state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory
Dictatorship
a system of government in which a single person or group exercises supreme power by controlling the military and police
Communism
a system of government in which a single political party controls both the government and economy; also, the theories developed by Karl Marx regarding the development of an ideal, classless society
Monarchy
a system of government in which a single ruler exercises supreme power based on heredity or divine right
Democracy
a system of government in which citizens exercise supreme power, acting either directly on their own or through elected representatives
Constitutional Monarchy
a system of government in which the powers of a monarch are limited by a constitution, either written or unwritten
authoritarian regime
a system of government in which the state exercises broad control over the lives of its citizens
Fascism
a totalitarian system in which businesses remain in private hands but under government control
Fedual system
a type of government in which power is shared between the national government and smaller regional governments within the nation
Despots
a tyrant or ruler with absolute powers
economic system
a way of organizing the production and consumption of goods and services
supranational organization
a world or regional organization that is not tied to any one country
Federalism
an economic and political system of the European Middle Ages in which landowners granted land to tenants in return for military assistance and other services
Traditional Economy
an economic system in which decisions about what to produce and how are made on the basis of customs, beliefs, and traditions
Capitalism
an economic system in which individual investors, or capitalists, privately own the means of production; also known as a free enterprise system
Socialism
an economic system that calls for public ownership of the means of production
mixed economies
an economic system that combines market forces with elements of a command economy
Market Economy
an economic system that relies mainly on markets to determine what goods and services to produce and how to produce them
command economy
an economic system that relies mainly on the central government to determine what goods and services to produce and how to produce them
free enterprise system
an economic system that relies on the profit motive, economic competition, and the forces of supply and demand to direct the production and distribution of goods and services; also known as capitalism
recall election
an electoral process through which citizens can vote an elected of icial out of of ice
ministries
an executive branch department, often in a parliamentary system
Totalitarianism
an extreme form of authoritarian rule in which the state seeks to control every aspect of its citizens' lives
market
any place or situation in which people buy or sell goods and services
factors of production
the basic resources required to produce goods and services: land, labor, and capital
Prime Minister
the chief executive in a parliamentary democracy
Coupd'etat
the sudden overthrow of a government by a small group of military of icers or political leaders; from a French term meaning "blow to the state"
