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| Political Scientist in Ancient Greece, collected approximately 158 constitutions of his time, mainly from Greek City-States. Wanted to know which provided best form of government for the people. Picked 3 good government and 3 bad ones. |
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| Set of beliefs, values, and attitudes about politics which are widely shared among the people in a particular Nation-State. |
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| Learning process by which people acquire their political culture, family, school, peers, mass-media, and church all have effects on one's development of political culture. |
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| Democratic Political Systems |
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Definition
| Forms of government that operate with 4 basic principles, popular sovereignty, political equality, political freedom, and majority rule. Direct democracy, presidential democracy, and parliamentary democracy. |
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| Authoritarian Political Systems |
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| Form of government in which a small group of people dominate the whole decision making process. Claim that they have exclusive right to rule people in society. Dynastic regines, Military Junta, Personal Dictatorship, and Theocracy. |
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| Totalitarian Political Systems |
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| Form of government that attempts to control every aspect of human life in order to build an ideal society. Has 6 characteristics which are ideology, one party and one dictator, monopoly of mass media, secret police, monopoly of weapons, and central control of economy. |
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| Doctrine of Popular Sovereignty |
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| The ultimate ruling power (or power to make political decisions) is vested in the people rather than in some of them or one of them. |
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| When the people disagree on an issue, the government should act in accordance with the wishes if the majority rather than the minority. Certain minority rights cannot be taken away by the majority, or "majority rules and minority right." |
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| Fusion of powers invested in the parliament. The overlap of personnel have to be members of parliament. Supremacy of parliament, no fixed term, can be ousted at anytime. |
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| Separation of powers, 3 branches of government. Checks and balances, and independent president. Elected by entire electorate of US for 4 years, fixed term. 15/125 democratic and semi-democratic nations use this model. |
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| Concentration of all policy making power in the legislature. This is where Prime Minister serves in Parliament. |
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| Single Member District System |
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| Facilitates to produce a stable majority in the parliament. Only two major parties have an even chance of winning the elections to form a government. |
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| If no one wins by a comfortable majority there is an election between the top 2 parties. |
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| Main goal is to win elections and who therefore appeal to as a broad a spectrum as possible. Win as many votes as they can. |
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| Seek to convert voters to their ideologies. |
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| devoted to one issue during an election. |
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| Dominated by two major parties, again, only two parties have an equal chance of winning the elections to form a governor. In Great Britain. |
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| More than 2 dominant parties. |
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| The Model Parliament 1295 |
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Definition
| Representatives of the towns were added to the barons and high ranking clergy. |
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| The Glorious Revolution of 1688 |
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Definition
| James II was driven from the throne and Parliament invited William and Mary of Orange from the Netherlands to take the throne. Their dependence on parliament was formalized in a Bill of Rights, which made it illegal for the crown to raise taxes or lay down a law without consent of Parliament. It also resolved long standing religious conflict. Established Supremacy of Parliament. |
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| The Parliament Act of 1911 |
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Definition
| Limited the veto of the Lords to two years over bills passed by the House of Commons in 3 successive sessions and abolished the veto over financial bills. |
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| The Parliament Act of 1949 |
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Definition
| The veto of the lords was reduced to one year instead of two. |
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| Don't have single documents, consists of many documents such as the Magna Carta, Parliament Acts of 1911 & 1949, principles of common law, and customs conventions of the constitution. |
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| Real powers rest here. It has 646 members elected for a maximum of 5 years. Can be dissolved by PM before serving full term. Exercises main legislative power in Britain. 3 major functions: pass laws, provide finance for the state by authorizing taxation and spending, and to review and scrutinize government administration and policy. |
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| Performs limited but useful functions. Has power to delay the passage of bills passed by the commons for 1 year. Commons can override Lords by simple majority thereafter, Lords can refine the language of bills & propose amendments. |
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| 85% of bills are usually government bills and over 90% of these bills are approved by parliament. The passage is assured due to strong discipline of the majority party, which are expected to vote along the party's guideline. |
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| General Standing Committees |
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Definition
| Less powerful than functional standing committees, and any committee can take up any legislation. |
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| Name given to the members of Parliament without gov office or junior officers because they sit on the back bench in the chamber cause they are dumb. |
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| Were once the 12 members of the House of Lords appointed to act as judges when the House of Lords was the highest court of appeal, however, since 2009 these 12 law lords serve as justices on the Supreme Court of Great Britain. |
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| The Vote of No Confidence |
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Definition
| Parliament votes on whether to keep Pm. If vote is passed, PM must resign. PM must dissolve parliament and seek new re-election. |
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| British Political Culture |
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Definition
| Great Britain is considered a "consensual political culture" meaning there is a general consensus among the British on the rule of the game. it has key characteristics, consensual culture, gradualism, pragmatism, trust and faith in the system, deference toward political leaders and authority, and a participant political culture. |
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| Is a characteristic of GB meaning that one does not go against his or her party when voting. Instead, one votes along the party guidelines. Failure to do so could result in expulsion from the party. |
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| Parochial Political Culture |
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Definition
| Political Culture in which people don't think they have part in the political system, therefore, they are not interested in it. |
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| Subject Political Culture |
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| Political Culture is which people regard themselves as subjects of the king/ruler. They know about the political system but passive and reluctant to participate. |
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| This party receives support from the upper and middle classes, it stands for small government, lower taxes, free enterprise and market economy, and strong national defense. Under Margaret Thatcher in 1980 party launched a BIG assault against big government by privatizing industries. |
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| This party became a major one in 1945 under the leadership of Clemet Atlee. Party had an extensive welfare system, stood for nationalization of major industries, and a national Health Service. Until 1994 when Tony Blair took over and developed the party into a "middle of the road party." |
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| The Liberal Democratic Party |
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| Party started in 1988 by the Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party. Appealed to the middle of the road voters, and wanted electoral reform. |
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| Became Labor Party leader in 1994. He deleted the Clause 4, lowered taxes and privatized, and went left of the center line. He called it the "Third Way". He was supported by the middle class and about half of industrial workers. Stepped down in 2007 after getting in hot water for supporting American war efforts. |
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| Become Conservative Party leader in 1979 and served in 1990. She launched a major assault to big government by privatizing nationalized industries and lowered taxes. Known for her economic plan, she stepped down in 1990 after losing support of voters and her own party for her authoritarian style. |
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| Succeed Margaret Thatcher and won the election in 1992, however, by 1997 conflict over key issues brought about an unexpected party defeat only winning 165 of 659 seats in the HOC. He resigned shortly thereafter. |
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| Headed by the PM, contains 22 members from Parliament. The cabinet works directly with the PM and meets frequently and has many small cabinet committees. Have collective and individual responsibility meaning they rise and fall with the PM and are responsible for personal or private misconduct. |
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| The functional standing committee (US) |
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Definition
| Each individual committee specializes in a specific area, they are very powerful, and can kill a bill. |
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| The main opposing party leader's people, the potential cabinet in waiting. |
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| Thatcher's Economic Policy |
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Definition
| Tried to cure the British Disease by creating an economic plan similar to Ronald Reagan's. She believed in small government, lower taxes, and a free enterprise system. She introduced privatization of nationalized industries, lowered taxes, sold council housing, reducing power of the labor unions, attempted to reduce welfare cost but wasn't able to do so. Also created a free enterprise system so British could compete in the international market. |
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| Providing benefits to welfare recipients |
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| The Clause 4 (Labor Party) |
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| Deleted by Tony Blair, it supported the nationalization on the means of production. |
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| The current Prime Minister of GB |
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| Leader of the LDP since 2007, who took them into the 2010 coalition with the Conservatives. |
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| The Chancellor of the Exchaquer |
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| Created in 2009, now the highest court of appeal in GB |
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| 18th Century French philosopher who was a true comparativist. His greatest contribution to the field was his model for the separation of powers that influenced the US System. |
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| The Spirit of the Laws 1748 |
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| Book written by nmontesquier, in it he attempted to mover beyond constitutional procedures of a country to examine its true culture and "spirit". |
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| Majority of people employed by the service sector. |
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