Theories & Foundations
According to John Locke, this theory posits that individuals voluntarily give up some freedom to a government in exchange for protection of their natural rights.
Social Contract Theory
A form of government ruled by a single dictator with absolute power.
Autocracy
The three basic powers every government must hold are executive power, judicial power, and this power.
Legislative Power
The primary relationship between democracy and this economic system is that government protects private enterprise without dictating prices or production.
Free Enterprise System
James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 51 that if all men were this, no government would be necessary.
Angels
This term describes a government that is recognized and accepted by both its own people and other nations as the rightful sovereign authority.
Legitimacy
In this type of democracy, citizens vote directly on laws and policies rather than choosing leaders to make decisions for them.
Direct Democracy
Unlike a president, this chief executive in a parliamentary system is a member of both the executive and legislative branches.
Prime Minister
This essential quality of a good citizen fosters social cohesion and a shared sense of responsibility for the common good.
Patriotism
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes famously noted that the right to swing your fist ends where this begins.
"The Other Man's Nose"
This theory of the state's origin best explains the rise of medieval feudalism following the collapse of centralized authority.
Force Theory
System of government where power is divided between a central national government and local or state governments.
Federal Government (Federalism)
A key disadvantage of this executive system occurs when opposing political parties control the legislative and executive branches, leading to political gridlock.
Presidential System
Providing fire and police protection are examples of activities conducted by the government that could otherwise be handled in this manner.
Privately
This British leader famously described democracy as "the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried".
Winston Churchill
This concept, often depicted in historic artwork, holds that a monarch's authority to rule comes directly from God.
Divine Right of Kings
System in which power is concentrated in a single, central agency rather than shared with regional divisions.
Unitary Government
A newspaper headline reading "President Rejects Tax Increase Bill" demonstrates this power over the legislative branch.
Veto Power (Block/Reject Legislation)
President Theodore Roosevelt stated that the first requisite of a good citizen is the ability and willingness to do this in a free society.
"Pull His Weight" (Accept Duties and Responsibilities)
Political cartoons about democratic decision-making often emphasize that this process is vital when different groups hold conflicting ideas.
Compromise
Economic policy and system under early European monarchies that funneled raw materials and wealth from colonies back to the crown.
Mercantilism
Ancient civilization that contributed to modern democracy by introducing the concept of representation through an elected Senate.
Roman Republic
This fundamental characteristic is missing from a territory if it has a population, land, and government, but lacks the power to formulate its own foreign policy
Sovereignty
Logistical burdens and the risk of stalling government operations make direct democracy unfeasible on a national level in countries with this characteristic.
Large Population
The primary concern expressed in the opening preamble of this document was creating a government that protected all aspects of the nation and its people.
U.S. Constitution