| Term | Definition |
|---|
| democracy | political system of mass participation, competitive elections, and human and civil rights |
| illiberal democracy | regimes that are elected but lack democratic qualities such as citizen rights and limits on government |
| regime | a form of government |
| referendum | a mass vote on an issue rather than for a candidate; a type of direct democracy |
| representative democracy | one in which the people do not rule directly but through elected and accountable representatives |
| mandate | a representative carrying out the specific wishes of the public |
| trustee | a representative deciding what is the public good without a specific mandate |
| civil disobedience | the nonviolent breaking of an unjust law to serve a higher law |
| mass media | the means of communication that quickly reach large audiences |
| elites | the "top" or most influential people in a political system |
| pluralism | theory that politics is the interaction of many groups |
| masses | ordinary citizens |
| interest group | an association that pressures government for policies it favors |
| totalitarian | political system in which state attempts total control of citizens |
| hierarchy | organized in a ranking of power from top to bottom, as if on a ladder |
| authoritarian | nondemocratic government but not necessarily totalitarian |
| demagogue | politician who whips up masses with extreme and misleading issues |
| petrostate | country based on oil exports, such as Saudi Arabia |
| democratic peace | theory that democracies do not fight each other |
| polyarchy | the rule of the leaders of several groups who have reached stable understandings with each other |
Combine with other sets
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