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Chapter 1 - PEOPLE, POLITICS, AND PARTICIPATION
American Democracy Now
35
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
01/23/2015

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Term
capitalism
Definition
An economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned and operated to produce profits.
Term
authoritarianism
Definition
A system of government in which the government holds strong powers but is checked by some forces
Term
citizens
Definition
Those members of the polity who, through birth or naturalization, enjoy the rights, privileges, and responsibilities attached to membership in a given nation.
Term
civic engagement
Definition
Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern.
Term
consent of the governed
Definition
The idea that, in a democracy, the government's power derives from the consent of the people.
Term
conservatism
Definition
An ideology that emphasizes preserving tradition and relying on community and family as mechanisms of continuity in society.
Term
constitutionalism
Definition
Government that is structured by law, and in which the power of government is limited.
Term
democracy
Definition
Government in which supreme power of governance lies in the hands of its citizens.
Term
efficacy
Definition
Citizens' belief that they have the ability to achieve something desirable and that the government listens to people like them.
Term
divine right of kings
Definition
The assertion that monarchies, as a manifestation of God's will, could rule absolutely without regard to the will or well-being of their subjects.
Term
direct democracy
Definition
A system of government that allows citizens to vote directly to approve or reject proposed public policies or to force an elected official from office before the completion of his or her term.
Term
government
Definition
The institution that creates and implements policy and laws that guide the conduct of the nation and its citizens.
Term
indirect democracy
Definition
Sometimes called a representative democracy, a system in which citizens elect representatives who decide policies on behalf of their constituents.
Term
legitimacy
Definition
A quality conferred on government by citizens who believe that its exercise of power is right and proper.
Term
liberalism
Definition
An ideology that advocates change in the social, political, and economic realms to better protect the well-being of individuals and to produce equality within society.
Term
libertarianism
Definition
An ideology whose advocates believe that government should take a “hands off” approach in most matters.
Term
liberty
Definition
The most essential quality of American democracy; it is both the freedom from governmental interference in citizens' lives and the freedom to pursue happiness.
Term
limited government
Definition
Government that is restricted in what it can do so that the rights of the people are protected.
Term
majority rule
Definition
The idea that in a democracy, only policies with 50 percent plus one vote are enacted, and only candidates that win 50 percent plus one vote are elected.
Term
monarchy
Definition
A government in which a member of a royal family, usually a king or queen, has absolute authority over a territory and its government.
Term
natural law
Definition
The assertion that standards that govern human behavior are derived from the nature of humans themselves and can be universally applied.
Term
naturalization
Definition
The process of becoming a citizen by means other than birth, as in the case of immigrants.
Term
oligarchy
Definition
A government in which an elite few hold power.
Term
political culture
Definition
The people's collective beliefs and attitudes about government and political processes.
Term
political engagement
Definition
Citizen actions that are intended to solve public problems through political means.
Term
political ideology
Definition
An integrated system of ideas or beliefs about political values in general and the role of government in particular.
Term
politics
Definition
The process of deciding who gets benefits in society and who is excluded from benefiting.
Term
popular sovereignty
Definition
The theory that government is created by the people and depends on the people for the authority to rule.
Term
property
Definition
Anything that can be owned.
Term
public goods
Definition
Services governments provide that are available to everyone, like clean air, clean water, airport security, and highways.
Term
social contract
Definition
An agreement between the people and their leaders in which the people agree to give up some liberties so that their other liberties are protected.
Term
social contract theory
Definition
The idea that individuals possess free will, and every individual is equally endowed with the God-given right of self-determination and the ability to consent to be governed.
Term
socialism
Definition
An ideology that advocates economic equality, theoretically achieved by having the government or workers own the means of production (businesses and industry).
Term
totalitarianism
Definition
A system of government in which the government essentially controls every aspect of people's lives.
Term
legitimacy
Definition
A belief by the people that a government's exercise of power is right and proper is
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