Vocab 1

Chapter Three Democracy – The proper ideal description of all systems of political and social organization. Formal Democracy – The term applied by communists to the ideas of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, and equality before the law. Natural Rights – a political theory, according to which all people are born with certain inalienable privileges – rights that cannot be taken away. Direct Democracy – A state in which all political decisions are made directly by qualified voters. Suffrage – The right to vote in an election. Representative Democracy – A state in which the legislative powers are delegated by qualified voters to their representatives in a legislative body, such as a parliament, senate, or congress. Recall – The ability of citizens to replace one elected representative with another through a by-election. Human Rights – The rights of all people to enjoy certain basic freedoms and protection against such dangers as hunger and disease. Amnesty International – Organization formed to expose flagrant global violations of human rights, such as government-sanctioned killing, torture, and imprisonment of citizens. Political rights – Electorate – The body of citizens that have the right to vote. Tyranny of the majority – A condition under which the ruling majority oppresses minorities of any type. Minority Rights – Used to shield any minority from being deprived or mistreated. Elites –A small group of often wealthy citizens that have power and political influence. Referendum – The submission of a planned law to a direct vote of the people. Plebiscite – A direct ballot by all qualified voters on an issue of national importance. Universal Suffrage – A political system that grants the right to vote to all qualified citizens, regardless of political or religious beliefs, gender, race, or ethnic affiliation.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Interest Group – An organization or informal group representing a specific political, social or economic position in society. Pluralism – A theory that states that diversity of ideas and competition among interest groups allows citizens greater control over government decisions. Bureaucracy –A system that administers the affairs of a government or business enterprise through employed officials; in government, this is also called the civil service.

Chapter 4 Authoritarian Government – A political system in which those in power are not controlled by the people but rather dictate to the people. Political Inequality – A system in which one person or a small group of people rule. Dictatorship – Absolute rule by one person. Oligarchy – A government conducted and controlled by a relatively few influential members. Junta – An oligarchy controlled by the military. Totalitarian – Relating to a political system in which the ruler or ruling body has established total control over all aspects of society. Autocrat – A person who rules as an authoritarian. “Divine Right” of Kings – The belief that a monarch was appointed by God and was responsible to God alone. Coup d’état – An attempt, whether successful or unsuccessful, to overthrow the government of a state. “Great Man” theory – A theory that perfect government demands rule by a man possessing extraordinary abilities. Civil liberties – The lawful freedoms of action and belief enjoyed by citizens of a democratic state. Crisis Theory – The political science theory that all historical events in human society are triggered by various crises, such as war and economic depression.

Charismatic – The ability to capture the attention and gain the support of people through the force of one’s personality. Authoritarian Personality – A personality trait in which people are governed by the need to donminate everyone with whom they interact. Fascism – A political ideology characterized by an extreme right-wing view and support for totalitarian government. Neo-fascist – A term used to describe contemporary movements or persons advocating white superiority and racial purity. Jacques Bossuet – Thomas Carlyle – Friedrich Nietzsche Augusto Pinochet – Hannah Arendt -