BRITAIN EXAM

AP Comparative Government with Heidlage at Newton North High School

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By: Ellie Abbott
Created: 2011-11-01
Size: 72 flashcards
Views: 29

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Traditional Legitimacy

belief that a hereditary ruling family has the right to rule

Constitution of the Crown

the evolved constitution that is a combination of important documents, common law, and customs

Rational-Legal Authority

a system of well established laws and procedures (very institutionalized)

-Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, and Common Law

Magna Carta

1215 document in which the king agreed to consult with the nobles before making important political decisions

-especially regarding taxes

-placed restrictions on the power of the monarchs

The Bill of Rights

-rights of parliament, not of individual citizens

-power of the purse given to parliament

Common Law

-legal system based on local customs and precedents

-allows the decisions that public officials and courts make to set precedents for later actions and decisions

-gradually becomes a set of principles for governance

Thatcherism

-conservative

-capitalist

-Margaret Thatcher, 1980s

-free market economy

-rejected collectivism (redistribution of wealth etc)

Influences of Geography

-Island: protection, but close enough for interaction with mainland

-Small size: limited resources--> led to colonization

-Small amount of fertile soil, short growing season: cannot always feed population

-No Mountains, deserts, rivers etc: easy transportation & communication

Nationalism

Pride in one's country

Insularity

the feeling of Britain that they are separate from the continent of Europe

Noblesse Oblige

the duty of the upper classes to take responsibility for the welfare of the lower classes

Welfare State

-NHS, national health service

-reflection of noblesse oblige

-Gov't responsibility to provide public benefits (education, health care, transportation)

Multi-Nationalism

Britain's boundaries include England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

-Different nations but ruled by same gov't

Gradualism

slower, gradual, political change

-explains the transition in policy making power from the king to the parliament

Great Reform Act of 1832

-300,000 men gained the right to vote

-House of Commons gained more power in relation to the House of Lords

Reform Act of 1867

-electorate reached 3 million

-many working-class people were given the right to vote

Representation of the People Act of 1884

-electorate expanded so that the majority of the voters were working class

Women's Suffrage

-1918

-all women over 28 and men over 21 could vote

-by 1928 all women over 21 could also vote

Labour Party

-Made to represent the rights of the new working class, trade unions

-Largest left-wing party

-Clause 4-wanted nationalization of the commanding heights in British industry

-Ed Miliband after Gordon Brown

Conservative Party

-Most members were middle-class merchants and businessmen

-pragmatic, not ideological

-Characterized by noblesse oblige

The Trade Union Council

-coalition of trade unions

-seeks to level class differences

-laborers feel inferior

Collective Consensus

-During ww2, all-party coalition gov't with ministers from both major parties

-continued through 1960s

Beveridge Report

-accepted during ww2

-social insurance program that makes all citizens eligible for health, unemployment, pension, and other benefits

-wanted to guarantee substance income for citizens

National Health Service (NHS)

-created under labour party

-universal health care

Mixed Economy

-gov't directing the economy and nationalizing major industries without giving up the basic principles of capitalism like private ownership of property

OPEC

-Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries

-height of 1970s economic crisis

-upped oil prices, also put an embargo on other oil-producing countries--> deepened the recession, higher unemployment rates, drop in GNP, and inflation

Margaret Thatcher

-conservative

TO SAVE ECONOMY:

-privatized business and industry

-cut back social welfare programs

-strengthened national defense

-fought labor unions

-NEOLIBERALISM

-the "Iron Lady", capable and firm

Neoliberalism

-classic liberal values

-low levels of gov't regulation, taxation, and social expenditures, protection of individual property rights

John Major

-The successor that Thatcher picked

-abolished poll tax, reconciled with EU, slowed social cutbacks and privatization

-conservative

Tony Blair

-labour party

-1997 after John Major

-Promised to create a new labor party and rule in the "third way"

-popularity plummeted after sending troops to Iraq and supporting the US

The Third Way

-centralist alternative to the extremes of the old Labour party on the left and the Conservative party on the right.

Gordon Brown

-Followed Blair in 2007

-because of Blair, had trouble convincing people to remain true to the Labour party

-2008 recession made things harder for Brown to maintain control of gov't

David Cameron

-Prime Minister following Gordon Brown in 2010

-conservatives could not muster a majority so made a coalition with the Liberal Democrats

-vision of big society

"Big Society"

-David Cameron

-grassroot volunteers and private organizations will energize the people

-less "big government"

-greater roles for private companies, charities, and employee owner cooperatives

Social Cleavages

-change the political system based on multi-national identities, social class distinctions, and the protestant/catholic split in Northern Ireland

-places of tension due to differences

Public Schools

-$$$

-educates the young people to continue after their parents as the ruling elite

Ethnic Minorities

-in 2001, 7.1% of population was of non-european origins

-historically there have been tight immigration policies

Civic Culture

-political culture

-Britain's is characterized by trust, respect for authority, competence, pragmatism, and harmony

Politics of Protest

-the tendency for the people to disagree openly and sometimes violently with the gov't

-has become increasingly more acceptable

-rioting in 2011

Sources of Modern Protest

-Decreasing support for labor unions

-increased violence regarding northern ireland

-thatcherism

-new labour

-Iraq war

Whig & Tory

colloqial terms for conservatives

Hung Parliament

-Example 2010 elections

-No party gained a majority of the votes

-coalition was formed

Divisions in the Conservative Party

1. Traditional Wing

-noblesse oblige, wants country ruled by elite that takes everyones interests into account before making decisions, supports membership in EU

2. Thatcherite Wing

-full free market, no gov't controls, Euroskeptics (see EU as a threat to British Sovereignty)

Sinn Fein

The political arm of the IRA

Democratic Unionist Party

led by protestant clergymen

Alternate Vote (AV)

allows voters to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference

Good Friday Agreement

-1998

-Britain gave Northern Ireland a regional gov't in which all parties would be represented on a proportional basis

British Elections

-Party determines who runs where

-Members don't have to live in their districts

-Party leaders run in "safe" districts

-Indv. votes for only one official on the national level

-70% of eligible voters vote

-first-past-the-post, single-member districts; minor parties get some representation (but would have more with proportional representation)

Interest Group Pluralism

-well-established interest groups that compete with each other for influence in policy making

Neo-Corporatism

Interest groups take the lead and sometimes dominate the state

Quangos

-quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organizations

-policy advisory boards appointed by gov't

-works with gov't officials to develop public policy

Unitary State

-political authority is centralized in one area (London)

-decisions made by the central gov't

-laws passed by parliament and regulations prepared by the bureaucrats in Whitehall are binding on all public agencies

Collective Cabinet

-members chosen by Prime minister

-center of policy making

-prime minister shapes their decisions into policy

-does not vote, all members publicly support the prime minister's decisions

"Collective Responsibility"

-leaders of majority party have the responsibility to represent the country as a whole, and must make policies that will apply to but will go over well with the people

Prime Minister

-speaks for all members of Parliament

-chooses cabinet members and other important sub-posts

-makes decisions in cabinet to be agreed on by ministers

-Serves only as long as s/he remains leader of the majority party

-member of parliament

House of Commons

-A group gets the majority of seats, others serve as the opposition
-Britain has multi-party system at polls but two party system in the HOC
-majority of votes becomes the majority party, second party becomes the loyal opposition

Back Benchers

less influential MPs (Members of Parliament)

Question Time

an hour in which the PM and his cabinet must defend themselves against attack from the opposition & members of their own party

Speaker of the House

presides over the debates at question time
-objective, not necessarily a member of the majority party
-job is to help everyone speak but not let things get out of hand

Checks

the opposition is seen as the check on the majority party (like checks and balances)

Vote of no Confidence

SEE SHEET

Parliamentary Sovereignty

parliament's decisions are final

Parliament has Substantial power because

Members:
-debate and refine potential legislation
-are the only ones who can become party leaders and eventually lead the gov't
-judge the administration of laws
-keep communication lines open between voters and ministers

Law Lords

-5 in the cabinet
-highest court of appeals
-cannot rule acts of parliament unconstitutional

Hereditary Peers

-Members of the house of lords
-hold seats that have been passed down through family

Life Peers

-house of lords
-people appointed to non-hereditary positions

House of Lords

-Only hereditary parliamentary house
-has minimal influence
-may add amendments to legislation, but the HOC can delete their changes by a simple majority vote

Discretionary power

-ministers rely on the expertise of the top bureaucrats (civil servants)
-top civil servants have a lot of input into policy making
-they can make decisions in implementing legislative and executive decisions

Supreme Court

-2009, made to replace the LAW LORDS (members of the house of lords designated to be the higher judicial authority) in the UK

-president, 11 justices appointed by a panel of lawyers

-final court of appeal on points of law

-Scotland is separate

-cannot declare an act of parliament unconstitutional

Keynesianism

-a lot of gov't control over industry

-offers: full employment, expanded social services, an effort to maintain a steady rate of growth, and keep prices stable

Neo-Liberalism

-thatcher

-free market economy, denationalization of industries

-privatization

Devolution

the turning over of some political powers to regional gov'ts

About this deck

By: Ellie Abbott
Created: 2011-11-01
Size: 72 flashcards
Views: 29

About StudyBlue

“I have used this website for three exams, and I see a huge difference in my test results.”
Naj