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| A situation that exists when political party control over the government is divided - for example, when the president is a Democrat and Congress is controlled by Republicans. |
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| A long-standing, identifiable structure or association that performs certain functions for society. |
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| According to David Easton, the "authoritative allocation of values" for a society; according to Harold Lasswell, "who gets what, when and how" in a society |
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| A permanent structure (institution) composed of decision makers who make society's rules about conflict resolution and the allocation of resources and who possesses the power to enforce those rules. |
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| The features of a leader or an institution that compel obedience, usually because of ascribed legitimacy. For most societies, government is the ultimate authority |
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| A status conferred by the people on the government's officials, acts, and institutions through their belief that the government's actions are an appropriate use of power by a legally constituted governmental authority following correct decision-making policies. These actions are regarded as rightful and entitled to compliance and obedience on the part of citizens |
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| The ability to cause others to modify their behavior and to conform to what the power holder wants. |
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| The act of accepting and carrying out authorities' decisions. |
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| A form of government that controls all aspects of the political and social life of a nation. All power resides with the government. The citizens have no power to choose the leadership or policies of the country. |
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| Rule by a few members of the elite, who generally make decisions to benefit their own group. |
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| An upper socioeconomic class that controls political and economic affairs. |
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| Rule by the best suited, through virtue, talent, or education; in later usage, rule by the upper class |
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| The COndition of having no government and no laws. Each member of the society governs him/herself |
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| A system of government in which ultimate political authority is vested in the people. Derived from the Greek words demos (the people) and kratos (authority). |
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| A system of government in which political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives; probably possible only in small political communities. |
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| a government body primarily responsible for the making of laws |
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| A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment |
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| An act of referring legislative or constitutional measures to the voters for approval or disapproval |
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| A procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from state office before his or her term has expired. |
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| the idea that governments and laws derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed |
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| A form of government in which sovereignty rests with the people, who elect agents to represent them in lawmaking and other decisions |
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| A form of government in which representatives elected by the people make and enforce laws and policies |
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| The right of all adults to vote for their representatives |
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| A basic principle of democracy asserting that the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should select officials and determine policies |
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| A form of government based on the principle that the powers of government should be clearly limited either through a written document or through wide public understanding; characterized by institutional checks to ensure that government serves the public rather than private interests |
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| The concept that ultimate political authority rests with the people |
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| A perspective holding that society is ruled by a small number of people who exercise power in their self-interest |
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| A theory that views politics as a conflict among interest groups. Political decision making is characterized by bargaining and compromise. |
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| A situation that arises when interest groups become so powerful that they dominate the political decision-making structures, rendering any consideration of the greater public interest impossible |
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| The collection of beliefs and attitudes toward government and the political process held by a community or nation |
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| The process through which individuals learn a set of political attitudes and form opinions about social issues. The family and the educational system are two of the most important forces in the political socialization process |
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| The values, customs, language, and ideals established by the group or groups in a society that traditionally have controlled politics and government institutions in that society |
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| The greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society |
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| A concept that all people are of equal worth |
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| Anything that is or may be subject to owenership. As conceived by the political philsopher John Locke, the right to property is a natural right superior to human law |
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| From the Latin fraternus (brother), a term that came to mean, in the philosophy of the eighteenth century, the condition in which each individual considers the needs of all others; a brotherhood. In the French Revolution of 1789, the popular cry was "liberty, equality, and fraternity." |
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| A comprehensive and logically ordered set of beliefs about the nature of people and about the institutions and role of government |
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| A set of beliefs that includes the advocacy of positive government action to improve the welfare of individuals, support for civil rights, and tolerance for political and social change. |
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| A set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government in helping individuals, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change |
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