Question | Answer |
What is political theory? | an orientation that characterizes the thinking of a group or nation |
Thucydides | Author of History of the Peloponnesian War. Called the master analyst of partisan politics. |
Plato | 427-347 b.c. Established a school of philosophy. School named for hero Academus. |
Aristotle | 384-322 b.c. Studied under Plato for two decades. Opened his own school. |
Anarchy | The condition of having no government or laws. |
Military - Industrial Complex | An informal alliance of military leaders and corporations that devises schemes for spending tax revenue for its own benefit. |
Political Legitimacy | The widespread acceptance that government has the authority to make decisions. |
Representative Democracy | A republic; specifically, a government whose authority is obtained and held, directly or indirectly, through free elections in which all competent adult citizens are allowed to participate. |
Direct Democracy | A form of government in which all citizens meet periodically to discuss and vote on almost all matters related to government. |
Monarchy | Governance by a hereditary, unelected leader, often based on perceived divine right. |
Progressive Income Tax | A tax system in which the tax rate rises as income rises. |
Social Contract | A hypothetical agreement among members of a society (or between a society and its ruler) regarding the rights and duties of each. |
Free Rider | The ability of an individual to enjoy the benefits from a collective action without having to pay for the benefit. |
Pluralism | A society in which independent groups seek political power in order to achieve their goals. |
Public Goods | Goods and services available to all citizens, such as highways, national defense, public health, and air-traffic control, that are unlikely to be produced by the market. |
Power | The ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions. |
Authority | The right to use power. |
Legitimacy | Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution. |
Democracy | The rule of the many |
Direct or Participatory Democracy | A governement in which all or most citizens participate directly. |
Representative Democracy | A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote. |
Elite | Persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resources, like money or power. |
Marxist Vier | View that the government is dominated by capitalists. |
Power Elive View | View that the governement is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside of governement. |
Bureaucratic View | View that the government is dominated by appointed officials. |
Pluralistic View | The belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy. |