Authority
Legitimate power; power that people accept as right
Coercion
Illegitimate power; power that people do not accept as just
State
Government; claims a monopoly on legitimate force or violence; Max Weber; the state claims both the exclusive right to use violence and the right to punish everyone else who uses violence is crucial to our understanding of politics; the state can kill: "V
Traditional Authority
Based on custom; hallmark of tribal groups; custom dictates basic relationships; EX: birth into a specific family makes the person a chief, king, or king; Weber
Rational-Legal Authority
Based on written rules; matters that have been agreed to by reasonable people and written into law; can be a contract or rights of all members of a society; sometimes called bureaucratic authority; comes from the position that someone holds, not from the
Charismatic Authority
People are drawn to a charismatic individual because they believe that individual has been touched by God or has been endows by nature with exceptional qualities; Joan of Arc-messenger of God fighting for justice; Hitler was this kind of leader as well, b
Routinization of Charisma
The transition of authority from a charismatic leader to either traditional or rational-legal authority; Weber
City States
Power radiates outward from the city; the ruler of each city controlled the immediate surrounding area, but the land between cities remained in dispute; often quarreled and wars were common; a castle was surrounded by a city, then another city had a castl
Monarchy
King or queen whose right to rule was passed on to the monarch's children
Democracy
Power to the people
Direct Democracy
Eligible voters can meet together, express their opinions, and vote publicly (town hall meeting)
Representative Democracy
Certain citizens voted for men to represent them in Washington
Citizenship
By virtue of birth and residence, people have basic rights; quite new to the human scene
Universal Citizenship
Everyone having the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country (or immigrating and becoming a naturalized citizen)
Dictatorship
When the individual seizes power and then dictates his will to the people
Oligarchy
Small group seizes power; coups in Central and South America and Africa
Totalitarianism
Almost total control of a people by the government
Democrats
Working class
Republicans
Wealthier people
Primaries
Pre-elections
Voter Apathy
Indifference; "What difference will my one vote make when there are millions of voters?
Political Gender Gap
Men and women are somewhat more likely to vote for different presidential candidates; men favor republican candidates and women favor the democratic candidate
Special-interest group
Consists of people who think alike on a particular issue and who can be mobilized for political action
Lobbyists
People who are paid to influence legislation on behalf of their clients; EX: Dairy Industry
Political Action Committees
Solicit contributions from many, and then use that large amount to influence legislation; bankroll lobbyists and legislators; give out about $400 million a year to their candidates
Anarchy
A condition of disorder and violence; having a government that protects them from violence, but that also may turn against them
Pluralism
A diffusion of power among many special-interest groups; prevents any one group from gaining control of the government and using it to oppress the people; functionalists
Checks and Balances
Designed to ensure that no one branch of government dominates the others; Executive branch, judiciary branch, and legislative branch
Power Elite
C. Wright Mills; Make decisions that have the greatest impact on the lives of Americans and people across the globe; consists of the top leaders of the largest corporations, the most powerful generals and admirals of the armed forces, and certain elite po
Ruling Class
William Domhoff; Refers to the power elite; focuses on the 1% of the super-rich in America; most of the president's cabinet and ambassadors
War
armed conflict between nations (or politically distinct groups); one option that groups choose for dealing with disagreements
Three Essential Conditions of War
Nicholas Timasheff; 1. two or more states confront incompatible objectives 2. cultural tradition of war 3. fuel that heats the antagonistic situation to a boiling point, so that politicians cross the line from thinking about war to actually waging it
Seven Fuels to War
1. Revenge-settling old scores from earlier conflicts 2. Power-dominating a weaker nation 3. Prestige-defending the nation's honor 4. Unity-uniting rival groups within their country 5. Position-protecting or exalting the leaders' positions 6. Ethnicity-br
Terrorism
Violence intended to create fear in order to bring about political objectives
Suicide Terrorism
A weapon sometimes chosen by the weaker group; World Trade Center
Subsistence Economy
Hunting and Gathering societies; moved to another place when the food sources ran low
Pastoral and horticultural Societies
Allowed humans to settle down in a single place
Agricultural Societies
Specializing in activities
Industrial Societies
Based on machines powered by fuels; created a surplus unlike anything the world had seen
Conspicuous consumption
Thorstein Veblen; The fundamental change from producing goods to consuming them; Protestant ethic was being replaced by an eagerness to show off wealth by the elaborate consumption of goods
Six Characteristics of a Postindustrial Society
Daniel Bell; 1. Service sector so large that most people work in it 2. a vast surplus of goods 3. even more extensive trade among nations 4. a wider variety and quantity of goods available to the average person 5. an information explosion 6. a global vill
Biotech Societies
Marriage of biology and economics; deciphering of the human genome system
Economy
Our system of producing and distributing goods and services, differs radically from past economies
Capitalism
Three essential features: 1. private ownership of the means of production 2. market competition 3. pursuit of profit
Laissez-faire capitalism
a.k.a. pure capitalism; Government doesn't interfere in the market
Welfare/State Capitalism
United States capitalism; private citizens own the means of production and pursue profits, but they do so within a vast system of laws designed to protect the welfare of the population
Socialism
Central committee decides that the country needs x number of toothbrushes, y toilets, and z shoes 1. public owns the means of production 2. central committees plan production and set prices; no competition 3. no profit motive in the distribution of goods
Market Forces
Supply and demand; determine both what will be produced and the prices that will be charged; capitalism
Democratic Socialism
a.k.a. welfare socialism; both the state and individuals produce and distribute goods and services; government owns and runs the steel, mining, forestry, and energy concerns, as well sa the country's telephones, television stations, and airlines
Capitalists
Believe market forces should determine both products and prices
Socialists
An item's value is based on the work that goes into it (Karl Marx)
Convergence Theory
Fundamental changes in socialist countries give evidence for this coming hybrid, or mixed, economy
Global Superclass
The leaders of the globe's top multinational companies overlap to such a degree that they form a small circle
What principle determines whether a person will vote in an election?
Age
Identify three practices in the American economy that are socialistic in nature
1) Foodstamps 2) Medicaid 3) Pell grants 4) Subsidized housing 5) Medicare 6) Social Security
NAFTA
North American Free-Trade Association
ASEAN
Association of South East Asian Nations