AP Government Unit 1 Lesson 1-3 vocab

Constitution

a plan of government that sets forth the structures and powers of government- authoritative law democracies

Constitutional Government

limited government; “rule of law”, form of government where a written/ unwritten constitution serves as a higher fundamental law where everyone must obey

forms of government

Aristotle’s idea of 3 forms of government: monarchies, republics, autocracies

Polity

Right form of government by many people (democracy)

mixed constitution

mixed elements from the 3 forms of government

Parliament

British legislature that consists of 2 houses - house of lords (nobility) and House of commons (common people)

Republic

form of government that derives power from the people - incorporates representative institutions (officials holding power or a limited time)

Unwritten Constitution

body of political practices developed from customs and tradition - not explicitly stated

Written Constitutions

Written plan of government, sets forth structure and powers of government

Democracy

“rule of the people” - form of government where all citizens exercise political power

Limited government

Constitutional government governed by the rule of law - written/unwritten constitutions that protects natural rights

Power

the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions

Authority

right to use power- must be legitimized to be formal/recognized

Legitimacy

Political authority (rights) conferred by law or constitution

Social contract theory

an implicit agreement among members of a society to cooperate for social benefits

Political power

right of governments to make laws for the protection and regulation of life, liberty, and property -for public good

Civic virtue

dedication of citizens to the common welfare of their community/ country

classical republicanism

ideals and practices of ancient Greek or Roman city-states that emphasize responsibility of citizens for the well being of their country - common welfare

common good

the good of the community as a whole- the public good/ interest

consent of the governed

agreement by citizens to obey the laws and the government they create - legitimizes government

divine right

divine right of kinds - gives king authority to rule - will of god

inalienable rights

fundamental rights inherent to being human that can’t be taken away by the government

natural rights

basic rights of life, liberty, property in the state of nature - government protects these rights

Political legitimacy

acceptance by the governed that the claim to authority by those who governed is justified

Popular sovereignty

the natural rights concept that ultimate political authority is with the people

Pursuit of happiness

unalienable rights, Americans are allowed to pursue personal fulfillment

rights of revolution

right of the people to charge or overthrow a government that doesn’t serve its interests

State of nature

the condition of people living in a situation without government - in nature

Capitalism

economic system- producing and distributing goods that are privately owned and operated for profit in competitive markets

city- state

a politically independent community consisting of a city and its surrounding territory

feudalism

a form of government in which power is divided and shared between a central government and state and local government

Judeo- Christian

ideas, beliefs and practices that have their historical roots in Judaism and Christianity

nation- state

a country - the standard unit of political organization in the world- “nation”

private morality

derived from religion, philosophy, family- and individual’s idea about right and wrongs in a person’s life

public morality

the values and principles of right and wrong pertaining to public policies and actions

Participatory democracy

the government is ruled by the majority of the people [popular sovereignty] through the election of representatives who serve as trustees

Elitist democracy

elected representatives that include/ are influenced by a small number of powerful elite to affect policy in the best interests of this select group - many citizens have little access to the political process and civil society

Pluralist democracy

groups compete to promote their policy and rely on bargaining and compromise to affect political decision making - allows minorities to have a voice in policy making - interest group

trustees

elected representatives that act according to their own conscience- going against constituents (voters)

delegates

elected representatives that act strictly to what is expected of them by their constituents