government
The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies
power
the rate at which work is done
policy
A proposed or adopted course or principle of action
state
An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.
sovereignty
Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.
politics
Method of maintaining, managing, and gaining control of government (who gets what, when, and how)
legitimacy
Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution
divine right of knights
The belief that God gives monarchs the right to rule
kings
The word of the sovereign Lord will surely be fulfilled
social contract
A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.
theory
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data
monarchy
A government ruled by a king or queen
dictatorship
A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.
oligarchy
A government ruled by a few powerful people
direct democracy
A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives
republic
A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting
unitary system
A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government
federal system
A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments
confederal system
A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.
presidential system
a system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other
parliamentary
a system of government where power lies with the legislative body and the leader of the country is part of the legislature
system
A group of parts that work together as a whole
ideal
perfect
liberty
freedom
equality
the property of distributing economic prosperity uniformly among the members of society
self-government
The right of people to rule themselves independently
majority rule
Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.
minority rights
A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities.
liberal democracy
A political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights.
free enterprise
Economic system in which individuals and businesses are allowed to compete for profit with a minimum of government interference