poli sci study guide - Poli Sci Terms exam 1 Government...

Poli. Sci. Terms: exam 1
• Government- institutions and people that rule over a territory and
people
o Autocracy- individual rules
o Oligarchy- small group rules
o Constitutional- formal and effective limits placed on
government powers
o Authoritarian- no formal limits, yet restrained by power of
other institutions
o Totalitarian- no formal limits, eliminate any challenges
o Limited- written constitution, formal limits on power
o Federal- power divided between national and state
o Representative- legitimacy derived from popular consent
o Current: constitutional, representative government
• Politics- distribution of advantages and disadvantages; who gets what,
when, and how
• Political science- social science interested in human behavior, cause
and effect
• Political culture- orientation of citizens toward political system and
themselves within system
• Liberal consensus/American creed: equal treatment and opportunity
o Individualism- allow individuals to succeed to max. extent,
equal chance rather than equal result
o Property- right to acquire and use private property with minimal
restrictions, use as part of society
o Liberty- freedom from government restraint, rights our
inherently ours
o Democracy- government actions reflect will of the people
o Religion- freedom to practice religion, US exception to trend of
economic success, less religion
• Challenges to liberal consensus
o Anti-liberalism- hierarchy, racism, inequality
o Multiculturalism- group focus, group heritage, cultural unity;
eliminates American uniqueness
• Libertarianism- few, if any government limitations
• Classical republicanism/communitarianism- for good of community,

sacrifice private interest
• Constitutional process: 5 key problems
o Resolve basic elite divisions
 Big states v. small states
 Pragmatism- balance needs of big states and small states
 Great compromise- constitutional convention 1787; gave
each state equal number of senators regardless of
population
o Protect commerce and property: national control over
commerce and finance, supremacy of national laws and treaties,
contracts must be honored
 Shay’s rebellion- Daniel Shays led farmers in rebellion
against government. Made congress reconsider
A.O.C….constitutional convention…Constitution
o Establish legitimacy: representativeness of government, direct
election of house of rep.s, promise of bill of rights
o Prevent excessive democracy: not to be entirely overrun or
determined by people
 Bicameral legislature: legislature must go through both
house and congress
 Checks and balances- no one has ultimate sovereignty
 Staggered terms- different length and times for election
 Indirect election: presidency
o Join adaptability with stability: difficult amending procedure
 Constitutional interpretation- meaning of document
changed by supreme court’s interpretation
• Federalists- prefer government and constitution
o Popular view: liberty is safest in small, direct democracies or
republics with small districs
o