Political Science POLS-Y 103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Oligarchy, Totalitarianism, Individualism
10 Jan 2017
School
Department
Professor
Political Science
Chapter 1
• Types of Government
o Monarchy = form of government ruled by one hereditary king or
queen in the interest of all his or her subjects
o Totalitarianism = tyrants rule their countries to benefit themselves
o Oligarchy = few people rule in their own interest
o Democracy = system of government that gives power to the people
through elected representatives
▪ Direct and indirect
o Republic = system of government in which the interests of the people
were represented by more educated or wealthier citizens
• Functions of the government
o Establishing justice
▪ Bill of Rights and the Constitution
o Ensuring domestic tranquility
▪ Department of Homeland Security
o Providing for the common defense
o Promoting the general welfare
o Securing the blessing of liberty
• Political Culture = commonly shared attitudes, beliefs and core values about
how government should operate
• American political culture
o Liberty and Equality
▪ Personal liberty =freedom from governmental interference
and freedom to engage in a variety of practices
▪ Political equality = principle that all citizens are the same in
the eyes of the law
o Popular Consent, Majority Rule and Popular Sovereignty
▪ Popular consent = principle that governments must draw
their powers from the consent of the governed
▪ Majority rule = election of officials and transformation of
policies into law will take place only if 50% of total votes plus
one
▪ Popular sovereignty = notion that the ultimate authority in
society rests with the people
• Natural law = doctrine that certain ethical principles
are part of nature
▪ Individualism
▪ Religious Faith and Religious Freedom
• Changing the American People
o 15% of Americans are classified as immigrants
o Life expectancy has increased from thirty-five years to eighty
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