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Autocracy: a form of monarchy in which, at
least in theory, there are no constitutional restrictions on the power
of the monarch.
Bourgeoisie: Originally,
the inhabitants of a walled city, that is, merchants, craftsmen and
professionals, such as doctors, lawyers and professors. In later usage,
it was those members of the Third Estate who were not peasants. It
has now come to mean any member of the middle class.
Capital: goods used in the production of
other goods. Examples of capital include: money, factories,
animals, tools and machinery.
Command Economy: an economic system in
which the political authorities make major decisions regarding the
production and distribution of goods and services.
Constitutional Monarchy: a form of monarchy
in which the ruler is limited by a constitution. Usually the
limitations take the form of a need to consult and representative body
or religious authorities.
Democracy: A form of
government in which political power is exercised by the citizens.
- Direct Democracy: A
form of democracy in which political power is exercised by the
citizens without representatives acting of their behalf.
- Representative Democracy:
A form of democracy in which the citizens select other to act on
their behalf.
- People's Democracy: A
term used by many communist governments to describe a government in
which the state acts on behalf of the people even though the citizens
may not have chosen the government.
Dictatorship: A
government in which political power is exercised by a single individual
whose rule is considered illegitimate.
Empire: 1. A government
ruling over a number of different peoples or ethnic groups. 2. A
government that has expanded its territory through the use of force.
Ethics: the branch of
philosophy concerned with evaluating human action. Some
distinguish ethics, what is right or wrong based on reason, from morals,
what is considered right or wrong behavior based on social custom.
Executive: that portion
of the government responsible for the enforcement of laws and
administrative decision making.
Federal System: a
governmental form in which authority is divided between a central
government and various local governments.
Feudalism: the system of
relations between the members of the lords or knights of the upper
class. These relations can include vassalage and chivalry.
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Industrial Economy: an
economy in which goods are produced primarily by machines driven by an
inorganic power source, such as electric or gas motor.
Intendant: a political
position first developed by Cardinal Richelieu during the reign of
French King Louis XIII. Under Louis XIV, the intendant
became the most important means for centralizing royal authority.
The intendant was usually a non-noble, so his power and position were
directly dependent on the favor of the king. He was granted full
power over finance, justice and police. He could try cases, unseat
judges, collect taxes and regulate local municipal governments among
other powers.
Legitimacy: a government
that has the moral authority to govern. This moral authority may
be derived from lawful transfer of power, from the gods or tradition.
Manor: an agricultural
estate under the control of a single individual or lord.
Manorialism: [sometimes
referred to as the seignorial system] the system by which
the lord exploited the serfs or tenants who worked his estate.
Nation:
a form of imagined community in which the
members of the community imagine themselves to share a common history
and culture. A nation may or may not associated with a particular
state.
Natural Religion: A religion based upon
what can be known from nature or reason.
Parliamentary System: A political system in
which the executive is chosen by the legislative body.
Presidential System: A political system in
which the executive is chosen directly by the citizens.
Revealed Religion: A
religion based on a deity communicating with the adherents of the
religion in one form or anther. In some religions, the gods speak
through priests or poets. In others it is through dreams or
oracles.
Serf: one who has given
up autonomy, been placed under the jurisdiction of a warlord and
receives in return permission to farm on the lord's manor. While
the nature of the arrangement between lord and serf varied greatly by
place and time, the arrangement usually required to pay the lord some
crops in kind, some rent in coin and provide some labor services.
Serfdom: an economic and
social system characterized by serfs.
- Society of Orders or
Estates: A society in which social divisions are marked by legally
defined categories. For example, the Estates General in France
at the time of the French Revolution recognized three orders: the
clergy, the nobility and the commoners.
- Society of Classes: A
society in which social divisions are marked difference in wealth.
Sovereignty: A
government has sovereignty if it has authority over all that occurs
within the state and its authority is not restricted by any authority
outside it.
State: a government that
exercises sovereignty.
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