Essential SAT Terms

A form of government in which the people exercise the authority of the government.

A form of government in which a single person or party possesses supreme and absolute power. China's Communist Party leadership allows it to subscribe to the idea of being so.

A form of government characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms; North Korea would be an example of it.

A set of rules that determine how elections are conducted and how their results are determined.

The extent to which political institutions set up the political context to allow citizens to express their concerns and criticisms without fear of being repressed.

Principle of government under which separate branches, legislative, judicial, and executive, are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power.

A form of government in which the country is considered a public matter, not a private concern or property of rulers. A monarchy wouldn't fit the definition, for example.

Also referred to as structural violence, it refers to violence incurred from social structure or social institution through preventing people from meeting their basic needs.

The idea of forming of alliances among a community of workers, often to bargain collectively.

An assertion by a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state.

A union of sovereign groups or states, united for purposes of common action.

The convention that drew up the Constitution of the United States.

The unification of independent state governments -- a source of contention that led to several constitutional compromises.

A proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex.

An American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman who fought for the abolition of slavery.