Governments & The Rise of Democracy Vocabulary List.

Governments & The Rise of Democracy

Vocabulary List

1.) Aristocracy:

A hereditary and landholding ruling class/elite; nobility.

2.)Democracy:

A Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.

Demo = people cracy = government

3.)Oligarchy

a government where political power effectively rests with a small, elite segment of society

4.)Theocracy

A government in which a God or a deity is recognized as the supreme ruler; a religious government.

Theo = God

5.)Monarchy

A government in which a king or queen exercises central power

6.)Monotheism

Belief in one God

Mono = one theism =

God

7.) Morality The quality of being in accord with standards

of right or good conduct.

8.)Polytheism:

Belief in many gods

Poly = many

ABOVE: The gods of Olympus include (back row, l. to r.): Poseidon, Zeus, Hades; (middle row, l. to r.): Demeter, Hera, Apollo, Dionysus; (front row, l. to r.): Hermes, Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, and Hestia; bottom left corner: Heracles, Zeus's son by a mortal woman, Alcmene

9.) City-State:

A political unit made up of a city and the surrounding lands.

10.)bureaucracy

System of managing government through departments run by appointed officials

11.)philosopher

A person in pursuit of wisdom by investigating nature, causes or principles of reality, knowledge, and values.

12.)Socrates 469 BC–399 BC

A Greek Athenian philosopher that created the Socratic method (a series of questions to help students to examine the implications of their own answers) and a supported the democratic system.

13.) Plato (427-347 B.C.)

A student of Socrates and Greek philosopher that wrote the Republic -describes his vision of the ideal state

14.) Aristotle

Plato’s student and Greek philosopher that wrote Politics : his view on the “rule of law” and why it is important.

15.) LegislatureAn elected lawmaking body of people

16.) tyranny

a cruel, unjust, or oppressive government

17.) jury

A panel of citizens who have the authority to make the final judgment in a trial.

18.) Republic

A government in which officials are chosen by the people.

19.) Roman Senate:

Most powerful governing body made up of Senators that made the laws. All members were patricians (aristocrats)

Hierarchy

Categorization of a group of people according to ability or status.

20.) veto

To block or prevent from becoming law

21.) The Twelve Tables

Early Roman written code of laws

22.) Cultural Diffusion: The process of new ideas, customs, and

technologies spreading from one people to another.

23.) Feudalism: Powerful lords (nobles) who divided land among lesser lords (knights) who owed military service to powerful lords. Peasants worked on the land

24. Clergy People authorized to perform religious ceremonies