| A | B |
|---|
| democracy | a form of govt. in which the supreme authority rests with the people |
| dictatorship | a form of govt. in which the leader has absolute power and authority |
| checks and balances | system of overlapping powers of the 3 branches of govt. to permit each branch to check the actions of the other branches |
| federalism | a system of govt. in which a written constitution divides power between a central (national) govt. and several regional govts |
| judicial review | the power of the court to determine the constitutionality of a government action |
| limited government | basic principle of govt. which states that govt. is restricted in what it can do + each individual has rights the govt. cannot take away |
| monarchy | govt. led by a hereditary ruler |
| popular soverignty | basic principle of govt. that the people are the source of any + all govt. power + govt. can exist only with the consent of the governed |
| republic | a state where supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them |
| separation of powers | principle of govt. where the leg., exec., and jud. power are divided among 3 independent + co-equal branches |
| tyranny | cruel and oppressive government or rule. |
