What is government?
The power to make laws
Legislative Power
A group of people, living in a defined territory, having a government with absolute power within its territory to decide its own policies
State
The beginning of the Constitution that outlines the goals of government
Preamble
A form of government in which the executive and legislative branches are separate and equal.
Presidential government
The laws and goals that government follows or pursues
Public Policy
The power to carry out laws
Executive Power
Large or small, every state must be inhabited
Population
One person or group claimed control over a territory and forced the population to submit.
Force Theory
A form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments.
Federal Government
A settlement of differences in which each side gives up some of its demands.
Compromise
The power to settle arguments and decide the meaning of laws
Judicial Power
Every state must have land, with known and recognized borders.
Territory
A population occurred out of primitive families.
Evolutionary Theory
A form of government in which several states join together for a common purpose
Confederate government
A belief that a majority will be just more often than it will be unjust.
Majority rule
A form of government in which people hold the power
Democracy
The state has absolute power within its territory. It can decide its own foreign and domestic policies
Sovereignty
God created the state and had given those royal birth a given right to rule.
Divine Right Theory
A form of government in which the executive branch is made up of a prime minister and his or her cabinet and is part of the legislature.
Parliamentary government
A government in which a small group of people hold unlimited political power.
Oligarchy
A plan for government
Constitution
The group of people and agencies entrusted with making and carrying out laws and policies agreed upon by the larger population.
Government
A voluntary act of free people.
Social Contract Theory
A system of government that gives all key powers to the national or central government.
Unitary government
System in which businesses are privately owned and operated with little government involvement.
Free enterprise system