Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
American Government and Politics
2001-2002 Edition
Overview and Outline
Since you all have taken the United States Citizenship Test and hopefully have a new
appreciation for testing, read page 4’s “What If” section. Write down your independent
comments after you answer the two questions for critical analysis.
1)
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2)
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Chapter 1: Forces of Change in the Twenty-first Century
Politics is about _______________ and ______________.
List three facts about the election of 2000.
1)
2)
3)
Why do people and government need stability?
How often do Americans have the opportunity to change the balance of power in the
national government?
Define:
Divided Government:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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The willingness of Americans to debate new initiatives and demand changes in the way
government works is at the core of our ______________ ______________.
United States Government
1
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Define:
Institution:
________________________________________________________________________
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Politics:
________________________________________________________________________
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There are many definitions for politics but they all try to explain how human beings
regulate ______________ within their society
Definition of Politics According to:
David Easton:
Harold Laswell:
Identify the three kinds of conflicts that are described in the text:
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Define:
Government:
________________________________________________________________________
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According to the text when does politics exist?
________________________________________________________________________
Read the e-mocracy section on page 8 and answer the three questions the text poses:
1)
2)
3)
United States Government
2
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Define:
Authority:
________________________________________________________________________
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Legitimacy:
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Power:
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Compliance:
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Totalitarian Regime:
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Give examples of totalitarian regimes:
Define:
Oligarchy:
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Elite:
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Aristocracy:
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United States Government
3
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Anarchy:
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Democracy:
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Direct Democracy:
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Legislature:
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Initiative:
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Referendum:
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Recall:
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Consent of the Governed:
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Republic:
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United States Government
4
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Representative Democracy:
________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________
Now that you have all these definitions answer the following questions.
1) What is the difference between Representative Democracy and Direct
Democracy?
2) What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum?
3) What is the difference between oligarchy and aristocracy?
4) What problem did James Madison have with “pure democracy?”
5) What is the difference between Representative Democracy and a Republic?
Democratic Principles:
Define:
Universal Suffrage:
________________________________________________________________________
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Majority:
________________________________________________________________________
Majority Rule:
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What is “Majority Rule with Minority Rights” as a concept?
United States Government
5
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Define:
Limited Government:
________________________________________________________________________
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Popular Sovereignty:
________________________________________________________________________
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Why does the average citizen not participate or keep up with what government is doing?
Define:
Elite Theory:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Why is stability important to elites?
What does Harmon Ziegler think about American elites?
Read the section on page 15 about Politics and Economics, then answer the critical
analysis question:
Define:
Pluralism:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
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Hyperpluralism:
________________________________________________________________________
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Be sure you can differentiate between pluralism and hyperpluralism.
United States Government
6
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Define:
Political Culture:
________________________________________________________________________
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Political Socialization:
________________________________________________________________________
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The most obvious source of political socialization is the ______________.
List other influences:
Make sure you can tell the difference between political culture and political socialization.
Define:
Dominant Culture:
________________________________________________________________________
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Fundamental Values:
Define all:
Liberty
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Equality
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Property
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What is the significance of fraternity?
United States Government
7
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Read the Making Waves section and answer the question on page 18 under critical
analysis.
Read Page 19 and answer the critical analysis questions at the bottom of page 19.
1)
2)
Read the section on the Changing face of America. Identify some trends that are listed.
Define:
Ideology:
________________________________________________________________________
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Liberalism:
________________________________________________________________________
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Conservatism:
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Read the Global View Section on page 25
Identify the following terms:
Marxism-Leninism
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Socialism:
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United States Government
8
Mr. Hightower
Name: __________
Period: _____
Date: _________
Libertarianism:
________________________________________________________________________
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Conservatism:
________________________________________________________________________
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Liberalism:
________________________________________________________________________
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What are some of the American political tasks that have remained unfinished (according
to the text)?
United States Government
9
Mr. Hightower