Chapter 11 - Terms Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapter 11 - Terms Deck (39)
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1
Q

politics

A

the exercise of power and attempts to maintain or to change power relations

2
Q

power

A

the ability to carry out one’s will, even over the resistance of others

3
Q

micropolitics

A

the exercise of power in everyday life, such as deciding who is going to do the housework or use the remote control

4
Q

macropolitics

A

the exercise of large-scale power, the government being the most common example

5
Q

authority

A

power that people consider legitimate, as rightly exercised over them; also called legitimate power

6
Q

coercion

A

power that people do not accept as rightly exercised over them; also called illegitimate power

7
Q

state

A

a political entity that claims monopoly on the use of violence in some particular territory; commonly known as a country

8
Q

revolution

A

armed resistance designed to overthrow and replace a government

9
Q

traditional authority

A

authority based on custom

10
Q

rational–legal authority

A

authority based on law or written rules and regulations; also called bureaucratic authority

11
Q

charismatic authority

A

authority based on an individual’s outstanding traits, which attract followers

12
Q

routinization of charisma

A

the transfer of authority from a charismatic figure to either a traditional or a rational–legal form of authority

13
Q

city-state

A

an independent city whose power radiates outward, bringing the adjacent area under its rule

14
Q

monarchy

A

a form of government headed by a king or queen

15
Q

democracy

A

a government whose authority comes from the people; the term, based on two Greek words, translates literally as “power to the people”

16
Q

direct democracy

A

a form of democracy in which the eligible voters meet together to discuss issues and make their decisions

17
Q

representative democracy

A

a form of democracy in which voters elect representatives to meet together to discuss issues and make decisions on their behalf

18
Q

citizenship

A

the concept that birth (and residence or naturalization) in a country imparts basic rights

19
Q

universal citizenship

A

the idea that everyone has the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country (or by immigrating and becoming a naturalized citizen)

20
Q

dictatorship

A

a form of government in which an individual has seized power

21
Q

oligarchy

A

a form of government in which a small group of individuals holds power; the rule of the many by the few

22
Q

totalitarianism

A

a form of government that exerts almost total control over people

23
Q

proportional representation

A

an electoral system in which seats in a legislature are divided according to the proportion of votes that each political party receives

24
Q

noncentrist party

A

a political party that represents less popular ideas

25
Q

centrist party

A

a political party that represents the center of political opinion

26
Q

coalition government

A

a government in which a country’s largest party does not have enough votes to rule, and to do so aligns itself with one or more smaller parties

27
Q

voter apathy

A

indifference and inaction on the part of individuals or groups with respect to the political process

28
Q

special-interest group

A

a group of people who support a particular issue and who can be mobilized for political action

29
Q

lobbyists

A

people who influence legislation on behalf of their clients

30
Q

political action committee (PAC)

A

an organization formed by one or more special-interest groups to solicit and spend funds for the purpose of influencing legislation

31
Q

anarchy

A

a condition of lawlessness or political disorder caused by the absence or collapse of governmental authority

32
Q

pluralism

A

the diffusion of power among many interest groups that prevents any single group from gaining control of the government

33
Q

checks and balances

A

the separation of powers among the three branches of U.S. government—legislative, executive, and judicial—so that each is able to nullify the actions of the other two, thus preventing any single branch from dominating the government

34
Q

power elite

A

C. Wright Mills’ term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics who make the nation’s major decisions

35
Q

ruling class

A

another term for the power elite

36
Q

war

A

armed conflict between nations or politically distinct groups

37
Q

dehumanization

A

the act or process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve the respect or other treatment ordinarily given humans; enables and encourages abuse and klling

38
Q

terrorism

A

the use of violence or the threat of violence to produce fear in order to attain political objectives

39
Q

nationalism

A

strongly identifying with a nation (a people) accompanied by desiring that nation to be dominant