Government - answerthe means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs. Politics - answerthe 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. Democracy - answera form government where political power rests in the hands if the people Capitalism - answerAn economic system based on private ownership of capital Oligarchy - answerform of government in which a few elite people have the power private goods - answergoods provided by private businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them public goods - answergoods provided by government that anyone can use and that are available to all without charge toll goods - answera good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price to do so common goods - answergoods that all people may use but that are of limited supply representative democracy - answera form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws political power - answerinfluence over a government's institutions, leadership, or policies majority rule - answera fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole minority rights - answerprotections for those who are not part of the majority Direct Democracy - answera form of democracy in which people decide policy initiatives directly instead of choosing representatives to do this for them. Monarchy - answera form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power. Totalitarian - answerA form of government is all-powerful and citizens have no rights Natural Rights - answerthe rights to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take away John Locke - answer17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property. Social Contract - answeran agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government prote to their natural rights State of Nature - answera theory of how people may have lived before societies came into existence Thomas Hobbes - answerEnglish materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings (1588-1679) Due Process - answerthe requirement that the government act fairly and in accordance with established rules in all that it does Checks and Balances - answerA system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power Contractarianism - answerMoral or political theories based on the idea of a social contract or agreement among individuals for mutual advantage Unicameral Congress - answera representative form of government with a single legislative chamber. bicameral legislature - answera lawmaking body made up of two chambers or parts separation of powers - answerConstitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law Articles of Confederation - answer1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)