| A | B |
|---|
| limited government | government which has powers limited by a constitution or laws |
| limited monarchy | the power of a king or queen is limited |
| Magna Carta | English document drafted in 1215 that limited the power of the king |
| checks and balances | the three branches of government keep each others' powers in check |
| consent of the governed | that the authority of a government should depend on the consent of the people, as expressed by votes in elections |
| Enlightenment | a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. |
| separation of powers | an act of vesting the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of government in separate bodies |
| social contract | an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection |
| deprive | deny (a person or place) the possession or use of something |
| dissolve | close down or dismiss (an assembly or official body) |
| endowed | provided with a quality, ability, or asset |
| grievance | complaint |
| natural rights | rights that people are naturally born with |
| oppression | prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control |
| quartering | the provision of accommodations or lodgings, especially for troops |
| rectitude | morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness |
| self-evident | obvious |
| tyranny | ruling by oppression (e.g. autocracy) |
| individual liberty | each of us having the freedom to make our own choices and do what we want – within reason |
| natural law | a body of unchanging moral principles regarded as a basis for all human conduct |
| government | the system by which a nation, state, or community is governed |
| federalism | the federal principle or system of government |
| unitary | system of government in which central government has all of the power |
| confederal | system of government in which the regional governments have the power |
| confederation | a nation with a confederal government |
| governor | chief executive officer of a state government |
| oligarchy | government run by a small group of people |
| autocracy | government run by one person |
| democracy | government in which the people have the power (could be direct or representative) |
| federal | system of government in which the national and regional governments share power |
| president | the chief executive officer in a presidential system |
| presidential | system of government that has an elected president |
| parliament | lawmaking body in a parliamentary system |
| parliamentary | system of government in which a parliament makes the laws |
| socialism | a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a who |
| communism | government which has abolished all private property |
| direct democracy | democracy in which the people have direct power over government |
| absolute monarchy | monarchy in which a king or queen has unlimited or absolute power |
| constitutional monarchy | monarchy in which the king or queen's powers are limited by constitution or law |
| monarchy | government headed by a king or queen |
| republic | also known as a representative democracy |
| representative democracy | also known as a republic |
