WGU C181 STUDY GUIDE
Chapter 1 ✔✔
What is sovereignty? ✔✔SOVEREIGNTY - Each national government has the right to govern its
people as it wishes, without interference from other nations.
How is Sovereignty threatened
...
WGU C181 STUDY GUIDE
Chapter 1 ✔✔
What is sovereignty? ✔✔SOVEREIGNTY - Each national government has the right to govern its
people as it wishes, without interference from other nations.
How is Sovereignty threatened in the globalized world? ✔✔If the majority of nations thinks a
country is being ruled unethically or crimes on its citizens are happening, world sanctions can be
ordered. IE... Libya and Moammar Gadhafi.
What are the fundamental values of American democracy? How are these values shown in the two
dilemmas of government? ✔✔Order, freedom and equality.
Freedom vs. Order- sometimes, order is needed to have freedoms. USSR, Germany.
Freedom vs. Equality- sometimes, equality is a problem and hurts freedom. Equal pay, School
busing.
How do equality of opportunity, equality of outcome, and political equality differ? Provide
examples. ✔✔Equality of Opportunity- Same chance to succeed. School, employment.
Equality of Outcome- Same outcome for work. Equal pay, Healthcare.
Political Equality- Have a voice. Vote, Run for office.
What are the major purposes of government? Which is most controversial? ✔✔Order, Freedom
and Equality for all. Order is the biggest issue without giving up freedom.
Figure 1.1 fill out the following chart:
Political theory ✔✔1. Definition,
2. Correspond to which Economic Theory? - Define theory
3. Corresponds to which political label in the U.S.?Anarchism ✔✔1. total freedom. Law of the Jungle.
2. 0% government. Laisser Faire.
3. Not applicable.
Libertarianism ✔✔1. want freedom with little laws. Liberty
2. 20% government.
3. Libertarian.
Liberalism
Power of the people to change laws. ✔✔1. wants freedom, kn ows laws are needed, wants everyone
equal.
2. 30-40% government. Capitalism, no monopolies.
50-75% government. Socialism.
3. Conservatives - Republicans, Communitarians, Liberals - Democrats
Totalitarianism ✔✔1. wants nothing but law & order.
2.100% government. Communism.
3. Not applicable.
Figure 1.2 ✔✔State the differences between libertarianism, conservative, communitarian, &
liberal views on Freedom, Order, Equality, & Government. Which values are seen as most
important? Least important? What role should government play to protect those values?
Freedom ✔✔Libertarianism- almost all freedom
Conservative- 1/2 freedom
Communitarian- very little freedom
Liberal-very little freedom
Order ✔✔Libertarianism- very little of law & orderConservative- 1/2 law & order
Communitarian- 1/2 law & order
Liberal- very little order
Equality ✔✔Libertarianism- very little equality
Conservative- little equality
Communitarian- 1/2 equality
Liberal- almost all equality.
Government ✔✔LibertarianismConservativeCommunitarianLiberallibertarianism ✔✔Wants mainly freedom with little law & order and equality.
liberalism ✔✔Wants a balance of freedom, equality and law & order.
liberals ✔✔wants mainly equality with little law & order and freedom
how they similar and differ? ✔✔They understand Freedom, Law & Order and Equality are needed.
It is the amount of each that separates them.
Chapter 2 ✔✔
What are the types of 'Direct Democracy'? ✔✔All citizens run the government and vote on laws,
taxes and issues.
Small towns, clubs, teams, etc..What is 'Indirect Democracy' or Representative Democracy? ✔✔All citizens vote for someone to
represent their thoughts. Our government, Representative, Republic system.
What are the basic concepts of Majoritarian democracy (Majoritarianism)? ✔✔Majority rules.
Everyone is equal to vote and have the chance to vote. Know what you are voting for, be consistent
and vote to have your voice heard.
What are the basic concepts of Pluralist democracy (Pluralism)? ✔✔Interest groups vote for the
laws, issues and what should be done. Majority is silent, the interest groups vote, government
should listen to only them.
How does "Elite Theory" differ from the Majoritarian and Pluralist models? ✔✔The view that a
small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions.
Chapter 3 ✔✔*When you are logged into the Learning Resource, please review the Interactive
Timeline, The Constitution: The American Revolution and the Nation's Constitution.
Explain Thomas Jefferson's ideas on unalienable rights and the Social Contract Theory as found
in the Declaration of Independence. ✔✔He was the writer. All man has a right to Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness (property), Self-governing.
-How was Thomas Jefferson influenced by John Locke? ✔✔Locke believed, man has God-given
rights (inalienable) and government is to protect and ensure these rights for all.
What is the relationship between the right to vote, popular sovereignty and Republicanism (or a
republic)? ✔✔Everyone has a right to vote to show popular sovereignty and gaurantee the republic
is not ruled by one person or group.
What were the political and economic weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation? ✔✔No tax
power.No leadership.
No regulated trade.
Amendments had to have a unanimous vote.
How did trade wars and events like Shay's rebellion expose some of these weaknesses? ✔✔They
showed the government had no power to raise money or to protect the new country.
How may the failure of the Articles of Confederation be seen as giving rise to the U.S.
Constitution? ✔✔It showed the government needed powers to raise money, make trade laws, raise
a national army and have states have powers.
Explain the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan as well as key differences. How were those
differences resolved in the Great Compromise? ✔✔
-Virginia Plan ✔✔-That the powers of the government be divided among three separate branches:
a legislative branch, for making laws; an executive branch, for enforcing laws; and a judicial
branch, for interpreting laws.
-That the legislature consist of two houses. The first would be chosen by the people, the second by
the members of the first house from among candidates nominated by the state legislatures.
-That each state's representation in the legislature be in proportion to the taxes it paid to the national
government or in proportion to its free population.
-That an executive, consisting of an unspecified number of people, be selected by the legislature
and serve for a single term.
-That the national judiciary include one or more supreme courts and other, lower courts, with
judges appointed for life by the legislature.
-That the executive and a number of national judges serve as a council of revision, to approve or
veto (disapprove) legislative acts. Their veto could be overridden by a vote of both houses of the
legislature.
-That the scope of powers of all three branches be far greater than that assigned the national
government by the Articles of Confederation and that the legislature be empowered to override
state laws.-New Jersey Plan ✔✔-That a single-chamber legislature have the power to raise revenue and
regulate commerce.
-That the states have equal representation in the legislature and choose its members.
-That a multiperson executive be elected by the legislature, with powers similar to those proposed
under the Virginia Plan but without the right to veto legislation.
-That a supreme tribunal be created, with a limited jurisdiction. (There was no provision for a
system of national courts.)
-That the acts of the legislature be binding on the states—that is, that they be regarded as "the
supreme law of the respective states," with the option of force to compel obedience.
-Great Compromise ✔✔-House would be dependent on state population.
-Revenue-raising would start in the House.
-Senate would be two senators from each state.
-President and VP would be done by Electoral College. (#=# of Delegates)
What are the four elements that form the foundation of the American political tradition in the
Preamble of U.S. Constitution? ✔✔-Creates a People. "We the People of the United States..."
-Explains the reason. "In order to form a more perfect Union..."
-Articulates goals. "[to] establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common
defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our
Posterity.." Exists to promote order and freedom.
-Fashions a government. "do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of
America..."
The four basic principles of the U. S. Constitution and in which Articles/sections & Amendments
are they located? ✔✔
-Republicanism ✔✔form of government in which power resides in the people and is exercised by
their elected representatives. Article 1:8-Separation of Powers ✔✔assignment of the lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting
functions of government to independent legislative, executive, and judicial branches, respectively.
-Federalism ✔✔division of power between a central government and regional governments.
-Checks & Balances ✔✔means of giving each branch of government some scrutiny of and control
over the other branches.
How do checks and balances work? *Also learn the Checks and Balances Chart. ✔✔Each branch
can not have complete control or make its self more powerful than another.
Specifically, what three powers are being separated in the principle of 'separation of powers'?
✔✔law-makers, judges and enforcers.
Explain the main ideas in each of the seven Articles of the U.S. Constitution? ✔✔
-Article I ✔✔Tells what the congress job is, can and can't do. Longest and most detailed.
-Article II ✔✔Tells what the presidency job is and what he/she can do.
-Article III ✔✔Tells what the judges job is. Vage.
-Article IV ✔✔All warrants/judgements be honored in every state, equality of all states citizens,
allow new states to be created.
-Article V ✔✔Amendments to be added to Constitution-Article VI ✔✔Supremacy Clause- which asserts that when the Constitution, national laws, and
treaties conflict with state or local laws, the first three take precedence over the last two.
-Article VII ✔✔Ratification Process- stipulating that approval by conventions in nine states would
be necessary for the Constitution to take effect.
What is the 'Necessary and Proper Clause' (or 'Elastic Clause') in Article I of the Constitution?
✔✔The last clause in Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution, which gives
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