Unit 1: Foundations of Government Flashcards

Front

Government

Back

Institutions and officials organized to establish and carry out public policy.

Front

Sovereignty

Back

The right to exercise supreme authority over a geographic region, a group of people, or oneself.

Front

Social Contract Theory

Back

(Locke) The legitimacy of a government stems from an unwritten contract between the ruler and the ruled.

Front

Natural Rights

Back

(Locke) The idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property.

Front

State of Nature

Back

The condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws. Hobbes believed people were born "nasty, brutish, and short" while Rousseau believed people were born good but become corrupted.

Front

Separation of Powers

Back

(Montesquieu) Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law.

Front

Right to Rebel

Back

(Locke & Paine) If government becomes abusive of its power, citizens have the right to get rid of it, violently if necessary. Thomas Paine featured this in "Common Sense".

Front

Monarchy

Back

A system of government in which a single ruler exercises supreme power based on heredity or divine right.

Front

Dictatorship

Back

A system of government in which a single person or group exercises supreme power based on its control of the military and police.

Front

Theocracy

Back

A system of government headed by religious leaders.