Government

Equality of All Persons

"all men are created equal"; all are entitled to equality of opportunity and equality before the law; second concept of the basic concepts of democracy

Oligarchy

A government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self appointed elite.

Confederate Government

Alliance of individual states. A central organization, the confederate government, handles only those matters that member states assign to it.

Public policies

Are all the things that a government decides to do. Ranging from taxation, defense education, crime, and health care to transportation, environment, civil rights, and working conditions.

State

Can be defined as a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically (with a government), and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority

Unitary Government

Centralized government. All powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. The central(national) government creates local units of government for its own convenience.

Worth of the Individual

Democracy is firmly based upon a belief in the fundamental importance of the individual. Each individual, no matter what his or her station in life, is a separate and distinct being. Concept of dignity and worth of the ind. is of overriding importance in democratic thought; first concept of democracy

Parliamentary Government

Executive=Prime Minister/Premier, and the official's cabinet. The Prime Minister and cabinet themselves are members of the legislative branch, the parliament. The PM is the leader of the majority party or of a likeminded group of parties in parliament and is chosen by that body

Autocracy

Government in which a single person holds unlimited political power

Federal Government

One in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments.

Democracy

Responsibility for the exercise of these powers rests with a majority of the people; Supreme authority rests with the people

Evolutionary Theory

State developed naturally out of the early family. Holds that the primitive family, of which one person was the head and thus the "government" was the first stage in political development

Sovereign

Supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies

Executive Power

The Power to execute, enforce, and administer law

Judicial Power

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

Legislative Power

The Power to make law and to frame public policies

Constitution

The body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government

Presidential Government

The executive and legislative branches of the government are separate, independent of one another, and coequal. The chief executive(president) is chosen independently of the legislature, holds office for a fixed term, and has broad powers not subject to the direct control of the legislative branch. US is example of this

Government

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

Dictatorship

The ultimate responsibility for the exercise of these powers may be held by a single person or a small group

The Divine Right Theory

Theory of divine right was widely accepted in much of the Western world from the 15-18 centuries. Held that God created the state and that God had given those of royal birth a "divine right" to rule. The people were bound to obey their ruler as they would God; opposition to "the divine right of kings" was both treason and mortal sin

The Force Theory

Theory that the state was born of force. They hold that one person or a small group claimed control over an area and forced all within it to submit to that person's or group's rule

Social Contract Theory

Thomas Hobbes, James Harrington, and John Locke in England, and Jean Jacques Rousseau in France developed this theory. The theory argues that the state arose out of a voluntary exists only to serve the will of the people, that they are the sole source of political power, and that they are free to give or to withhold that power as they choose. Helped shape the American governmental system.

Law of Supply and Demand

a law which states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop. When supplies become scarcer, prices tend to rise.;

Division of Powers

an authority superior to both the central and local governments make these decisions on a geographic basis

Mixed Economy

an economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion; Gov'ts participation in the economy serves a two-fold purpose: to protect the public and to preserve private enterprise

Necessity of Compromise

public decision making must be largely a matter of give and take among the various competing interests; fourth concept of democracy

Individual Freedom

the current United States Constitution ensures what type of freedom for all of its citizens; , the current United States Constitution ensures what type of freedom for all of its citizens

Majority Rule, Minority Rights

the democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of voters but protects the interests of the minority; third concept of democracy