1. Defination Of Democracy... 1....government by the people; a
form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the
people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents
under a free electoral system. 2....a state having such a form of
government: The United States and Canada are democracies. 3...a
state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and
privileges. 4...political or social equality; democratic spirit.
5...the common people of a community as distinguished from any
privileged class; the common people with respect to their political
power. (*)Dictatorship... A dictatorship is a government or a
social situation where one person makes all the rules and decisions
without input from anyone else. Dictatorship implies absolute power
one person who takes control of a political situation, a family, a
classroom or even a camping expedition. In government, a
dictatorship leaves no room for input from anyone who is not the
top guy or gal. The noun comes from the late 14th century Latin
word, dictare, which means to "repeat or say often." In a
dictatorship, one person keeps repeating the same command: "My way
or the highway." (*)Three Branches of Government... In 1787 leaders
of the states gathered to write the Constitution-a set of
principles that told how the new nation would be governed. The
leaders of the states wanted a strong and fair national government.
But they also wanted to protect individual freedoms and prevent the
government from abusing its power. They believed they could do this
by having three separate branches of government: the executive, the
legislative and the judicial. This separation is described in the
first three articles, or sections, of the Constitution.
1...Legislative Branch The legislative branch is made up of the two
houses of Congressthe Senate and the House of
2. Representatives. The most important duty of the legislative
branch is to make laws. Laws are written, discussed and voted on in
Congress. There are 100 senators in the Senate, two from each
state. Senators are elected by their states and serve six-year
terms. The Vice President of the U.S. is considered the head of the
Senate, but does not vote in the Senate unless there is a tie. The
Senate approves nominations made by the President to the Cabinet,
the Supreme Court, federal courts and other posts. The Senate must
ratify all treaties by a two-thirds vote. 2...Executive Branch...
The President is the head of the executive branch, which makes laws
official. The President is elected by the entire country and serves
a four-year term. The President approves and carries out laws
passed by the legislative branch. He appoints or removes cabinet
members and officials. He negotiates treaties, and acts as head of
state and commander in chief of the armed forces. The executive
branch also includes the Vice President and other officials, such
as members of the cabinet. The cabinet is made up of the heads of
the 15 major departments of the government. 3...Judicial Branch...
The judicial branch oversees the court system of the U.S. Through
court cases, the judicial branch explains the meaning of the
Constitution and laws passed by Congress. The Supreme Court is the
head of the judicial branch. Unlike a criminal court, the Supreme
Court rules whether something is constitutional or
unconstitutionalwhether or not it is permitted under the
Constitution. On the Supreme Court there are nine justices, or
judges: eight associate justices and one chief justice. The judges
are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. They
have no term limits. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the
land. Its decisions are final, and no other court can overrule
those decisions. (*)Definition of REFERENDUM... : the principle or
practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or
proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative : a vote on
a measure so submitted
3. : a diplomatic agent's note asking for government
instructions Examples of REFERENDUM... The issue was decided by
referendum. Origin of REFERENDUM... New Latin, from Latin, neuter
of referendus, gerundive of referre to refer First Known Use: 1847.
(*)Initiative... ...an introductory act or step; leading action:
...to take the initiative in making friends. ...readiness and
ability in initiating action; enterprise: ...one's personal,
responsible decision: ...to act on one's own initiative. initiative
is a process that enables citizens to bypass their state
legislature by placing proposed statutes and, in some states,
constitutional amendments on the ballot. The first state to adopt
the initiative was South Dakota in 1898. Since then, 23 other
states have included the initiative process in their constitutions,
the most recent being Mississippi in 1992. That makes a total of 24
states with an initiative process. (*)Recall... A recall election
(also called a recall referendum or representative recall) is a
procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from
office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended.
(*)Socialism... ...a theory or system of social organization that
advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of
production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the
community as a whole.
4. ...procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
...(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the
transition of a society to communism, characterized by the
imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.
(*)Capitalism... an economic system in which investment in and
ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of
wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or
corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or
state-owned means of wealth.
