Political Science Terms

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Government

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The system or group of people governing an organized community, often a state.

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Sovereignty

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The authority of a state to govern itself or another state.

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Social contract theory

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The view that a person's moral and political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live.

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State

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A nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.

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Monarchy

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A form of government with a monarch at the head.

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Dictatorship

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A form of government in which a single person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations.

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Liberty

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The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.

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Limited democracy

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A form of government in which the power of the people is limited by a constitution or a similar governing document.

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Free enterprise

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An economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control.

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Liberal democracy

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A form of government in which representative democracy operates under the principles of liberalism, protecting the rights of the individual.