Principles of Government

1. What is a government?
a. The event of controlling or governing a state, nation or a city.
2. Define the terms power and authority, and explain how they relate to government.
a. Power is the ability to direct a behavior. Authority is the power or right to give
orders and make decisions and enforce obedience. This deals with government
because government should have the power and authority to handle the citizens
of what they are governing. That may be making laws that may be taxes,
anything.
3. Define sovereignty.
a. A supreme power of authority.
4. What is politics?
a. The activities associated with the government of a country that handles debate or
conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power. There are two
parties in the US, Democrats and Republicans.

5. What is majority rule?

a. Majority rule is when a large amount of the people wants something. So like 2/3
or of the people.
6. What is limited government? How is that different from a totalitarian government?
a. Limited government is where the government has power but is not in total control
of everything. They have boundaries they cannot push. Totalitarianism is where a
group of people has complete control over the people. The difference is that with
limited government there are some things that the government cannot do,
whereas with totalitarianism they have full control and can do what they want.
7. Define the following government forms:
a. Monarchy
a. They have kings, queens, Emperor. Power is passed down through a
family bloodline.
b. Theocracy
a. A specific religion or religious leader rules the government.
c. Oligarchy
a. Government is ruled by and voted by a select group of people,
containing religion, Nobles, Wealthy, and power groups.
8. How is direct democracy different from indirect democracy (representative democracy)?
a. (Or, how is a democracy different from a republic?)

b. Direct government is where everyone votes on everything until everyone

agrees. Indirect democracy, the people vote on other people to go vote on

things in politics.
9. How is parliamentary democracy different from presidential democracy? What might be
the advantages to each?
a.
10. Define the following distributions of government power:
a. Unitary system- governed as a single entity.
b. Confederal system- a group of nations or states in which the component
states retain considerable impendence.
c. Federal system-Divides up power between a strong national government and small
local government

11. What is an economy?

a. The wealth and resources in terms of the production and consumption of goods and
services.
12. Describe the following economic systems:
a. Traditional economy- guided by tradition, predictable
b. Capitalism (market economy)- freedom, unpredictable, profit motive,
supply/demand
c. Communism- Government controls and runs everything
d.

Socialism- Many public owned (government owned) industries, few private

business for extra and enrichment goods.

e. Mixed economy- combines any number of two types of economies.