Name _____________________
Date _____________
Political Systems - Vocabulary
Forms of Government:
1.
Centralized Government - A form of government where power is concentrated or consolidated in one
area (ex: kings, dictators, emperors)
2.
Decentralized Government - A form of government where power is delegated or distributed from the
top (ex: Feudalism)
3.
Democracy – A form of government where the people have the power
4.
Republic – A form of democracy where people elect or vote for representatives to make decisions;
(Formed in Ancient Rome)
5.
Direct democracy - Form of democracy where citizens had direct say in the making of decisions
(Athens, Greece)
6.
Monarchy - Government headed by a king or queen.
7.
Limited/Constitutional Monarchy – Form of government where the king or queen shares power with a
legislative branch or a government where the monarch’s power is limited by a constitution.
8.
Absolutism (absolute monarchy) - Government where the king or a queen has total or absolute
power/control
9.
Divine right theory – European theory that a monarch’s power to rule comes from God
10.
Totalitarian - Government that has total control over all aspects of the lives of the people. (Ex: Soviet
Union, Sparta)
11.
Theocracy - Government run by religious leaders or religions ideals (Ex: Iran)
12.
Fascism - Government based on extreme nationalism and an all-powerful state. (Nazi Germany, Fascist
Italy)
13.
Dictatorship – A country led by a person given temporary, absolute authority.
14.
Communism - Political system where a dictator sets up a totalitarian state and controls all aspects of life,
especially the economy; (Ex: The Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Cuba)
15.
Dynasty – A succession of rulers of a country that come from the same family
16.
Mandate of Heaven – Chinese theory that the right to rule comes from Heaven/God.
17.
Dynastic Cycle – The political cycle in China that explains the rise and fall of dynasties
18.
Feudalism – A decentralized political, system where land was exchanged for loyalty and protection.
(land=wealth=power)
Citizenship:
19.
Citizenship – Membership in a political community that carries rights to political participation (i.e.
voting)
20.
Suffrage - Movement to gain equal voting rights (ex: Women Suffrage, Black male Suffrage)
Political Titles:
21.
Czar - Emperor of Russia; derives from the word (Caesar); Tsar
22.
Monarch – A king or queen
23.
Dictator – A person given “temporary” absolute power of a country or nation (Hitler, Stalin)
24.
Emperor - Political ruler of an empire. Similar to a king
Political Units:
25.
City-state - small, independent political unit that built around a larger area; (Sparta or Athens in Greece)
26.
Nation-state - An independent state or country. (Ex: England, France, China)
27.
Empire - A group of states or territories that were conquered and controlled by one ruler (Rome)
28.
Colony – An area under the control of a colonial power; Provides raw materials and serves as an
exclusive market for the mother country
29.
Sovereign - A nation or group that has the power to make independent decisions (free nation)
Laws:
30. Anarchy – The absence of political authority; (chaos)
31. Codified laws - laws that have been written down or recorded
32. Hammurabi’s Code – A strict and harsh codified law system of Babylon that enforced specific
punishments for specific crimes; “Eye for an eye”
33. Legalism – Strict set of laws in China during the Qin dynasty; These laws often used corporal punishment
(executions, severing of appendages) towards scholars and nobles
34. Twelve Tables – Laws that guaranteed the rights of the Roman citizens; SERVES AS THE BASIS FOR
MODERN LAW SYSTEMS (Western Civilizations)
35. Justinian Code - A set of civil laws that provided order in the Byzantine Empire
Branches of Government:
36. Executive – Branch of government that enforces the laws
37. Legislative – Branch of government that creates or makes the laws
38. Judicial – Branch of government that interprets the laws (makes judgments)
Government Principles:
39. Separation of power – Theory that no one branch of the government has all the power; (checks and
balances)
40. Habeas corpus - legal principle that requires authorities to show reasons why a person should be held in
custody (Jail); provides a person the right to a speedy trial.