chapter 15 study quizz

 deciding who is going to do the housework or use the remote control

micropolitics

The exercise of large-scale power, the gov- ernment being the most com- mon example

macropolitics

the exercise of power and attempts to maintain or to change power relations

Politics

power relations wherever they exist, including those in everyday life

politics

the ability to carry out your will, even over the resistance of others

power

political entity that claims monopoly on the use of violence in some particular territory; commonly known as a country

The State

These three things comprise...

• a political apparatus (government institutions, ruling over a territory
  
• Has capacity to use force
  
• Legal system
  

The State

Sovereignty

The supreme authority of the state, including both the right to take life and to tax.

the concept that birth (and residence or naturalization) in a country imparts basic rights

citizenship

What are three rights expected from citizenship?

• Civil Rights: freedoms and privileges guaranteed by law

• Social rights: Guarantee minimum standards of living (negotiable)

• Political rights: ensure that citizens may participate in politics

authority based on custom  

Traditional Authority

authority based on law or written rules and regulations; also called bureaucratic authority

rational-legal authority

In _____________ authority, everyone—no matter how high the office held—is subject to the organization’s written rules.

rational-legal

In governments based on ____ authority, the ruler’s word may be law; but in those based on _____ authority, the ruler’s word is subject to the law.

• Traditional
• rational–legal
  

authority based on an individ- ual’s outstanding traits, which attract followers

charismatic authority

A strong identification with a nation, accompanied by the desire for that nation to be dominant

Nationalism

Civil Rights

freedoms and privileges guaranteed by law

Political Rights

ensure that citizens may participate in politics

Social Rights

Guarantee minimum standards of living

• Basis of social welfare
  
• Many times they’re not upheld.  NY state constitution has a right to housing in it, technically the state has to provide citizens, including those who can’t procured on it’s own 
  

Direct Democracy

Direct democracy occurs when everyone is involved in all decision making

• Can be difficult in large groups.
  

• Cons: not informed because there are issues that not everyone is knowledgeable about

System in which citizens have a choice to vote between political parties for representatives entrusted with decision making

Representative Democracy

An electoral system in which seats in a legislature are divided according to the pro- portion of votes that each political party receives

proportional representation

A ______ is another word for country

state

The left and right are aligned with which major ideals?

• Left = equality
  
• Right = freedom

Which political representation promotes minority parties?

• In a proportional representation system, if a party can get 10 percent of the voters to support its candidate, it will get 10 percent of the seats.
  
• In the United States, in contrast, 10 percent of the votes means 0 seats. So does 49 percent of the votes. This pushes parties to the center: If a party is to have any chance of “taking it all,” it must strive to obtain broad support. For this reason, the United States has centrist parties.
  

This group believes competition of interest groups limits concentration of power of ruling elite

• Functionalist
  
• Pluralist Theory

the diffusion of power among many interest groups that prevents any single group from gaining control of the government

pluralism

handmaiden of the working class

Marx calls democracy the handmaiden of the ruling class, and he means by this that they serve class interests

Democracy is just a pretense for the OMP to control society

a group of people who support a particular issue and who can be mobilized for political action

special interest groups

cross-cutting

cross-cutting cleavage is a concept that recognizes that most people have multiple interests and identities that affect their political views

Where do most interest groups come from?

70% are business, both sides give most amount of money to politicians, more than any other category. 500 million compared to 60k by labor groups

armed resistance designed to overthrow and replace a government

revolution

a government whose authority comes from the people; the term, based on two Greek words, translates literally as “power to the people”

democracy

Functionalist Perspective

Pluralist society has many parts—women, men, racial–ethnic groups, farmers, factory and office workers, religious, bankers, bosses, the unemployed, the retired—as well as such broad categories as the rich, middle class, and poor. No group dominates. Rather, as each group pursues its own interests, it is balanced by other groups that are pursuing theirs. To attain their goals, groups must negotiate with one another and make compromises. This minimizes conflict. Politicians try to make policies that appease as many groups as possible.

Conflict perspective

Power elite, whose connections extend to the highest centers of power, determines the economic and political conditions under which the rest of the country operates. Not some secret group that meets to agree on specific matters. Rather, the group’s unity springs from the members having similar backgrounds and orientations to life. All have attended prestigious private schools, belong to exclusive clubs, and are millionaires many times over. Their behavior stems not from some grand conspiracy to control the country but from a mutual interest in solving the problems for big business.