unit 1: political systems

what characteristics of the Confederate States of America made it a confederal government when compared to the government of the United States?

The Confederate States of America had a weaker central government than the United States, and individual states had more sovereignty and power than US states. The central government of the Confederate States handled only foreign issues or national economic issues.

dictatorship

a government in which one person seizes control of the state and rules with complete power. Ruler(s) may come to power through evolution or coup d'état or be elected democratically and then seize power.

monarchy

a government ruled by a single person (such as a king, pharaoh, or emperor) who usually stays in power for life.

nation

a group of people who share some sort of background, such as culture, religion, or ethnicity. may not possess a strong political power, such as a government, that rules over the people.

federal systems

a higher authority, usually a constitution, stands above both the central and local governments and outlines the division of powers. The central government is still the sovereign entity in the state, but it must abide by the laws of the constitution.

state

a region controlled by a single political entity. contains a permanent population, a defined territory, and a government. is sovereign, meaning it controls its internal affairs. consisted of multiple city-states. may be a larger but looser collection of people.

representative democracy

citizens elect officials to represent their community. The elected representatives gather to form a legislature, which has the power and responsibility to make laws for the republic.

Direct, or participatory democracy

citizens participate in the decision-making process by voting on laws and crafting state policies. This form of democracy is easiest to practice in small, geographically compact communities where all citizens can gather in one place.

nation state(country)

combines features of a nation and a state. Four characteristics define a nation-state: population, territory, government, and sovereignty. In other words, a nation-state must have people, land, political institutions, and regional control. A nation-state has the political and territorial definitions of a state and also has a cultural characteristic that unites its people, such as language, history, or ethnicity

Constitutional Government

defines the powers of government as well as the rules that dictate decision making. specifically separates the functions of government into different branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch provides checks and balances to the others, thus preventing one branch from becoming too powerful. names the rights of US citizens. These rights not only cannot be violated by the government but also must be protected by the government.

federal government

divides the power of the state between the central government and several local governments.

theocracy

government in which the leaders of a religion control the government, and the policies of the state closely adhere to the teachings of that religion. A single person or a religious oligarchy rules in a theocracy. A religious leader or hierarchy rules.

Authoritarian Governments

government leaders ruled with unlimited power and the majority of people had few, if any, rights or liberties. citizens have few protections against the power of the state. Citizens living under an authoritarian government typically lack the right to a fair trial.

confederal system

independent states join together and cede a small part of their power to a central agency—the confederate government. The central government often retains some limited powers, such as dealing with foreign affairs and national economic issues.

Totalitarianism

represents a severe form of dictatorship. A single party rules and controls all aspects of society and everyday life.

in the united states

the overall structure of the government is federal, but the government of each state is unitary. Local governments, such as cities and counties, are "creatures of the state," meaning that the state government is the source of all their power and authority. The United States is a republic. This political system allows Americans to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

presidential government

the people elect a chief executive (known as the president) who is independent of the legislature and has powers separate from it.

unitary government

the power of the state is concentrated in a single central authority, which alone possesses sovereignty. The central government can give or dissolve powers from the local and regional governments within that state.

oligarchy

"rule of the few." a small group of elite citizens rule a state. A small group of powerful, often wealthy, citizens is in charge.