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17.6: Key Terms

  • Page ID
    172381
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    absolute monarchies
    governments wherein a monarch has absolute or unmitigated power
    anarchy
    the absence of any organized government
    authority
    power that people accept because it comes from a source that is perceived as legitimate
    charismatic authority
    power legitimized on the basis of a leader’s exceptional personal qualities
    constitutional monarchies
    national governments that recognize monarchs but require these figures to abide by the laws of a greater constitution
    democracy
    a form of government that provides all citizens with an equal voice or vote in determining state policy
    dictatorship
    a form of government in which a single person (or a very small group) wields complete and absolute authority over a government or populace after the dictator rises to power, usually through economic or military might
    monarchy
    a form of government in which a single person (a monarch) rules until that individual dies or abdicates the throne
    oligarchy
    a form of government in which power is held by a small, elite group
    one person, one vote
    a concept holding that each person’s vote should be counted equally
    patrimonialism
    a type of authority wherein military and administrative factions enforce the power of the master
    politics
    a means of studying a nation’s or group’s underlying social norms as values as evidenced through its political structure and practices
    power
    the ability to exercise one’s will over others
    power elite
    a small group of powerful people who control much of a society
    rational-legal authority
    power that is legitimized by rules, regulations, and laws
    representative democracy
    a government wherein citizens elect officials to represent their interests
    totalitarian dictatorship
    an extremely oppressive form of dictatorship in which most aspects of citizens’ lives are controlled by the leader
    traditional authority
    power legitimized on the basis of long-standing customs

    17.6: Key Terms is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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