Comparative Politics Midterm
Terms
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- Nation-state
- states in which national identification and the scope of legal authority largely coincide
- State of Nature
- the condition that would exist if no government were present
- Welfare state
- state that supports social welfare assistance, unemployment benefits, accident and sickness insurance, old age pensions, public education, and the like
- Democracy
- a political system in which citizens enjoy a number of basic civil and political rights, and in which their most important political leaders are elected in free and fair elections and accountable under a rule of law
- Nation
- large-scale communities based on a common perceived identity
- Parliamentary Regime
- a kind of government that makes executive and legislative branches interdependent
- Separation of Powers
- Montesquieu’s idea; has the virtue of preventing injustices that might result from an unchecked executive for the legislature
- Democratic Presidential Regime
- provides two separate agencies of government: executive and legislative, separately elected and authorized by the people
- Whitehall
- refers collectively to the executive agencies of government; named after the London street in which many major government offices are located
- Downing Street
- prime minister’s residence is located; a short and narrow street off Whitehall
- Westminster
- refers collectively to government institutions; named after the district in London in which they are located
- Constitution of 1958
- France’s sixteenth constitution since the fall of the Bastille; submitted by general De Gaulle for popular approval; offered to remedy previous failings of French political parties and coalition politics; the president of the Republic became the visible head of state in represented unity of the national community; he relies on the Parliament, Cabinet, and the people for the full weight of government action
- Constitutional Council
- originally safeguarded against any legislative erosion of the constraints that the constitution has placed on the prerogatives of Parliament; increasingly important role in the legislative process
- Jean-Marie Le Pen
- founded the National Front (FN) in 1972; the FN was a relatively obscure far right party until the 1980s
- Bundestag
- popularly elected; primary legislative body; represents the state governments at the national level (Germany)
- Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)
- set up to “temporarily†govern the Western part of Germany; occupied by Allied forces
- Ostpolitik
- Brandt and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) won 1969 elections in West Germany and proposed this policy toward the East; accepted the postwar political situation and sought reconciliation with the nations of Eastern Europe, including the GDR
- Judicial Review
- the Supreme Court decides whether a law is valid based on its constitutionality
- Political Action Committee (PAC)
- any organization that is not formally affiliated with a particular party or candidate and spends money to influence the outcome of elections
- Electoral College
- composed of representatives from municipal, departmental, and regional councils in which rural constituencies are overrepresented (France)