Describe the State
This characteristic of a state refers to the fact that a state must have people, although the number of people does not directly impact the state's existence.
Population
A form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments.
Federal government
Define democracy.
A form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people.
Where does sovereignty rest in a dictatorship, and where does it rest in a democracy?
In a dictatorship, sovereignty rests with a small group or a single person (dictator). In a democracy, it rests with the people.
An adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each
Compromise
This characteristic requires that a state must be comprised of land, with known and recognized boundaries.
Territory
The power to interpret laws, determine their meaning, and settle disputes within a society.
Judicial power
Describe a parliamentary government.
A form of government in which the executive branch is made up of the prime minister and their cabinet, who are part of the legislative branch.
What rights are given to the minority in a democracy?
Those in the minority have the right to criticize the majority and to be heard.
A joining of several groups for a common purpose.
Confederation
This characteristic means that a state has supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies.
Sovereignty
The power to make laws and frame public policies.
Legislative power
What is a dictatorship?
A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.
This theory suggests that the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people; the people grant governmental powers and may be limited by the people.
The social contract theory
An economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion
Mixed economy
This characteristic signifies that a state is politically organized and has a structured system.
Government
All the goals that a government pursues in all areas of human affairs in which it is involved.
Public Policy
What is a presidential government?
A form of government in which the executive and legislative branches are separate, independent, and coequal.
What does “promote the general welfare” mean in the context of government?
The government is a servant to its citizens.
A law which states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop. When supplies become scarcer, prices tend to rise.
Law of supply and demand
Of the four characteristics of a state, this is the one that the 50 individual states of the United States lack.
Sovereignty
Basic principle of federalism; the constitutional provisions by which governmental powers are divided on a geographic basis, such as in the U.S. between the National Government and State governments.
The division of powers.
What is an oligarchy?
A form of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite.
"Defend the nation against foreign enemies, insure order and domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare of the citizens, and establish justice."
The Preamble to the Constitution
An economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments that are determined by private decision rather than by state control, and determined in a free market.
Free enterprise system