Politics For Dummies (For Dummies Series)

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The campaign period is showtime for political parties and politicians. It provides them with the opportunity to propose the policies and changes they hope to implement if they’re elected. Some of the important aspects of the campaign period include: The executive branch is the part of the government that the president is a part of, acting as the face of America along with his cabinet, vice president and bureaucratic agencies from the White House. If you’ve ever heard of the Department of Defense or the Food and Drug Administration, both of these are under the executive branch. If we think about how the UK government is formed, it becomes apparent why each party competes so vigorously to gain seats in the House of Commons. Every member of the government comes from the largest party in Parliament or one that is part of a coalition.

These states, which are often referred to as swing states as well, are where voters are split relatively evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Traditional battleground states include Florida and Ohio. Other states that have been strongly Republican in the past, like Arizona and Texas, are considered battlegrounds in 2020 due to increasing support for the Democratic Party. End of battleground states Who can vote and how do they do it? Populism: A movement that challenges the established values and rules of the political establishment. Representative democracy: A type of democracy where the people elect representatives to make policy on their behalf.

Congress consists of two groups called houses. One house is the Senate. There are 100 senators, two from each state. The other house is the House of Representatives, or House. There are 435 representatives in the House. The number of representatives from each state is based on the state’s population. States with large populations have more representatives than states with small populations. Get a handle on the voting systems. Get to know the different ways to vote for the Senate and the House of Representatives. Critical realignment: A core group of a political party’s supporters switching to the opposition. This switch also creates a new majority party. In 2016, about 245 million people were eligible to vote, but fewer than 140 million people actually did. According to the US Census Bureau, the majority of people who didn’t register to vote said they just weren’t interested in politics. Those who registered but didn’t actually vote said they didn’t like the candidates. End of eligible to vote Political science: An academic discipline that studies the relationship between people and political institutions.

Presidents serve four-year terms. Since 1951 presidents have been limited to two terms. The vice president takes over if the president dies, gives up the job, or is unable to serve. Socialism: A political and economic system where most property is owned by the state and a centralized planning agency that plans for all of society replaces the free market. Communism: Communists believe that the capitalist system is damaging to the interests of the masses, and that workers must unite and overturn it by revolutionary means. Communists also believe in the state ownership of all land, natural resources and industry. So, if you’re not an American but want to learn more about the American political system, good for you! You may walk out of this knowing more about the American political process than Americans themselves. If you don’t know where to begin to learn about all of the intricacies and issues in American politics, this is a good place to start. We’ve compiled a guide of the basics about American politics that anyone from anywhere can understand. Even though it’s a lot, just know that this information merely scratches the surface of the complex, seemingly unending layers of the American political system.Both men are in their 70s - Mr Trump would be 74 years old at the start of his second term, while at 78, Mr Biden would be the oldest first-term president in history. How is the winner decided? Two-party system: A political system in which only two parties have a realistic chance of winning political office. Evaluate how global forces and changes impact politics on all levels. It can be easier to perceive how major geopolitical events, like World War II or the fall of the Soviet Union, cause ripple effects on international, national, and even local levels of politics. However, you should also consider the lasting political impacts of long-term global forces, such as the spread of internet access, economic globalization, and climate change.

John Rawls, 1921–2002: Rawls created the concept of a theory of justice, arguing for a political system based on social justice. In 1971, Rawls’s A Theory of Justice was published. St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225–1274 CE: St. Aquinas integrated Aristotle’s concept of people being able to reason with Catholic doctrines. Coalitions are not common to Westminster politics as one party is likely to win a majority of seats under the first past the post system. But between 2010 and 2015 the UK was governed by a coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Federal system of government: A system of government where subnational levels of governments not only exist but also have independent powers. Mass party: A centralized and full-time political party whose major purpose is to represent a certain ideological viewpoint.

Balance of power: A theory that stipulates that as long as all great powers are similar in size and power, the world will be in balance and peace will result.