WGU C963 American Politics and the US

253 WGU C963 American Politics and the US Constitution 1.Government ANS the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates author- ity in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs.

2.Politics ANS the process of gaining and exercising control within a government for the purpose of setting and achieving particular goals, especially those related to the division of resources within a nation.

3.Democracy ANS A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them a political system in which people govern themselves, with capitalism.

4.Capitalism ANS an economic and political system in which a country's trade and 1 / 4

253 industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

5.Socialism ANS The government accumulates wealth and then redistributes it to cit- izens, primarily in the form of social programs that provide such things as free or inexpensive healthcare, education, and childcare.Some countries it is ran by a few powerful people (Oligarchy) 6.Oligarchy ANS A government ruled by a few powerful people, some countries this is what socialism looks like.

7.private goods ANS Benefits and services over which the owner has full control of their use.ex food, clothing, and housing 8.public goods ANS a commodity or service that is provided without profit to all mem- bers of a society, either by the government or a private individual or 2 / 4

253 organization.ex national security and education.

9.toll goods ANS a good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price to do so ex private school 10.common goods ANS goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply ex fish in the sea or clean drinking water.

11.Representative Democracy ANS A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

12.Direct Democracy ANS A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives 3 / 4

253 ex state laws 13.Monarchy ANS A government ruled by a king or queen 14.Totalitarian ANS A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) ex North Korea 15.Enlightenment ANS A philosophical movement which started in Europe in the 1700's and spread to the colonies. It emphasized reason and the scientific method. tended to focus on government, ethics, and science, rather than on imagination, emotions, or religion. Many members of this movement rejected traditional religious beliefs in favor of Deism, which holds that the world is run by natural laws without the direct intervention of God.