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Definition
The struggle over power or influence
within organizations or informal groups
that can grant or withhold benefits or
privileges. |
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Definition
An ongoing organization that performs
certain functions for society. |
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Definition
The institution in which decisions are
made that resolve conflicts or allocate
benefits and privileges. It is unique
because it has the ultimate authority
within society. |
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Definition
A state of peace and security. Maintaining
order by protecting members of society
from violence and criminal activity is the
oldest purpose of government. |
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Definition
The right and power of a government or
other entity to enforce its decisions and
compel obedience. |
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Definition
Popular acceptance of the right and power
of a government or other entity to exercise authority. |
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Definition
A form of government that controls all
aspects of the political and social life of a nation. |
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Definition
A type of regime in which only the
government itself is fully controlled by the ruler. Social and economic institutions exist that are not under the government’s control. |
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Definition
Rule by the “best”; in reality, rule by an
upper class. |
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Definition
A term derived from the Greek phrase
meaning “rule by God” or “rule by the
deity.” In a theocracy, the governing
principles are rooted in religious
precepts—there is no separation of church
and state. |
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Definition
A system of government in which political
authority is vested in the people. Derived
from the Greek words demos (“the people”) and kratos (“authority”). |
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Definition
A system of government in which
political decisions are made by the people
directly, rather than by their elected
representatives; probably attained most
easily in small political communities. |
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Definition
A governmental body primarily
responsible for the making of laws. |
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Definition
A procedure by which voters can propose
a law or a constitutional amendment. |
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Definition
An electoral device whereby legislative or
constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters for approval or disapproval. |
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Definition
A procedure allowing the people to vote to
dismiss an elected official from state office before his or her term has expired. |
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Definition
| A form of government in which sovereignty rests with the people, as opposed to a king or monarch. |
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Definition
The concept that ultimate political
authority is based on the will of the
people. |
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Definition
| A republic in which representatives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies. |
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Term
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Definition
A form of government in which representatives elected by the people make
and enforce laws and policies, but the
monarchy may be retained in a ceremonial
role. |
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Definition
A basic principle of democracy asserting
that the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should select officials and determine policies. |
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Definition
The principle that the powers of government should be limited, usually by
institutional checks. |
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Definition
The collection of beliefs and attitudes
toward government and the political
process held by a community or nation. |
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Definition
The process through which individuals
learn a set of political attitudes and form opinions about social issues. The family and the educational system are two of the most important forces in the political socialization process. |
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Definition
| A set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government in helping individuals, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change. |
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Definition
| A set of beliefs that includes the advocacy of positive government action to improve the welfare of individuals, support for civil rights, and tolerance for political and social change. |
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Definition
A political ideology based on strong
support for economic and social equality. Socialists traditionally envisioned a society in which major businesses were taken over by the government or by employee cooperatives. |
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Definition
A political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward almost all government
activities. |
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Definition
A revolutionary variant of socialism that favors a partisan (and often totalitarian) dictatorship, government control of all
enterprises, and the replacement of free markets by central planning. |
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Definition
A twentieth-century ideology—often
totalitarian—that exalts the national
collective united behind an absolute ruler. Fascism rejects liberal individualism, values action over rational deliberation, and glorifies war. |
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