Download Ch 4 Vocab - Madeira City Schools

Political Culture & Ideology
American Dream – The widespread belief that the United States is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and
hard work can bring economic success.
Americanism - A belief that Americans consider themselves bound by common values and common hopes
Anarchy - The total absence of government
Antitrust Legislation – Federal laws (starting with the Sherman Act of 1890) that tried to prevent a monopoly from
dominating an industry and restraining trade.
Capitalism – An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and
limited government involvement in the production, distribution, and pricing of goods and services.
Civic Competence - A belief that one can affect government policies.
Civic Duty - A belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs.
Class Consciousness - An awareness of belonging to a particular socioeconomic class whose interest are different from
those of others. Usually used in reference to workers who view their interests as opposite those of managers and business
owners.
Conservatism – A belief that limited government insures order competitive markets and personal opportunity.
Conservatives - Conservatives generally favor fewer governmental regulations and a greater reliance on the market;
fewer governmental policies in the name of disadvantaged groups; and, fewer tax laws that discourage business growth
Culture War - A split in the United States reflecting differences in peoples' beliefs about private and public morality, and
regarding what standards ought to govern individual behavior and social arrangements.
Democracy - In a democracy, sovereignty is located with the people who hold the power and give consent to the
government to rule.
Democratic Consensus – Widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that
under gird them.
Dictatorship - Dictatorships exercise absolute, not limited authority over the people. Participation in government is
limited to the individual or group who rules. Those who rule are not responsible to the will of the people. No
accountability.
Direct Democracy - Will of people translated into public policy directly by people themselves, in mass meetings. Doesn't
exist in any national level, anywhere in the world.
External Efficacy - A belief that the system will respond to a citizen's demands. One part of political efficacy.
Government - that complex of offices, personnel, and processes by which a state is ruled and by which its public policies
are made and enforced.
Gross Domestic Product - The value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States
Internal Efficacy - Confidence in a citizen's own abilities to understand and take part in political affairs. One part of
political efficacy.
Liberalism – A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity.
Liberals - Liberals generally favor more governmental regulation of the economy; more policies to help disadvantaged
groups; and, more policies to redistribute income.
Libertarianism – An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free
market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life.
Majority Rule - The majority rule is the popular rule. In a democracy, the majority will be right more often and wrong.
The majority have a "right" to be wrong.
Majority Rule – Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.
Minority Rights - The majority must recognize the right of the minority, by fair and lawful means, to become the
majority. The majority must always be willing to listen to a minority's argument, to hear its objections, to bear its
criticisms, and welcome its suggestions.
Monopoly – Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition; also, the
company that dominates the industry by these means.
Natural Rights – The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights.
Orthodox - People who believe that moral rules are derived from the commands of God or the laws of nature. They are
likely to believe that traditional morality is more important than individual liberty and should be enforced by government
and communal norms.
Parliamentary Government - Members of the executive branch are also members of the legislative branch (the
Parliament). Executive is made up of the prime minister or premier and that official's cabinet. Executive is leader of the
majority party or of a coalition of parties and is chosen by Parliament.
Political Culture – The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one
another.
Politics - Politics can best defined as "who gets what, when, and how."
Political Efficacy - A citizen's belief that he or she can understand and influence political affairs. This sense is divided
into two parts, internal efficacy and external efficacy.
Political Ideology – A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government.; A more or less
consistent set of views as to the policies government ought to pursue.
Political Subculture - Fundamental assumptions about how the political process should operate that distinguish citizens
by region, religion, or other characteristics.
Popular Sovereignty – A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
Presidential Government - Features a separation of powers. In a presidential government, the executive and legislative
branches are independent and coequal. The executive and legislative branches each can check the actions of the other
branch. President chosen independently of the legislature, holds office for a fixed term, and has powers not subject to
direct control of the legislature.
Progressive - A person who believes that moral rules are derived in part from an individual's beliefs and the
circumstances of modern life. Progressives are likely to favor government tolerance and protection of individual choice.
Public Goods - Things that everyone can share, such as clean air.
Public Policy Public policies of a government are all those things a government decides to do or not do. Examples:
imposing an income and property taxes; minimum wages; maintaining an armed force. Public policy includes all of the
decisions and non-decisions of government
Representative Democracy - Small group of people elected by the people to act on their behalf to express their popular
will. They are held accountable to the people through elections.
Social Capital – Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of
participation in voluntary organizations.
Socialism - An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange.
Suffrage – The right to vote.
Unitary Government - Power is held in a single, central agency. A centralized government. Local government is created
by the central government for convenience and is answerable only to central government. Most governments are unitary.
Great Britain is an example of unitary but democratic. Do not confuse with dictatorship.
Work Ethic - A belief in the importance of hard work and personal achievement.