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Anarchist

One who opposes all forms of government.

Anthropology

Anthropology is the science that deals with the origins, physical characteristics, and cultural development of mankind.

Aqueducts

Water pipes, channels, or troughs that carry water from one place to another.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, promised by James Madison and the Federalists as part of the ratification process to assure the public that their civil liberties would be protected.

Boom

A boom is a period of fast economic growth, high output, and low unemployment.

Capitalism

An economic system in which the means of production (business) is in private hands.

Caste system

A system of social stratification in which social position is determined by the family into which a person is born, and change in that position is usually not possible during an individual's lifetime.

Centrally planned economy

An economic system where the government, through a planning process, allocates resources in society.

Command Economic System

In a command economic system, the main decision maker is the government.

Communism

Communism is the name given to a form of government that favors the direct, communal control of society.

Constitutional Monarchy

A form of government that acknowledges as head of state an elected or hereditary monarch who is guided by a constitution wherein his/her rights and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom.

Conservative

One who opposes change and seeks solutions to societal problems via traditional methods.

Consumer sovereignty

Exists when resources are allocated according to the wishes of the consumers.

Democracy

A form of government in which political control is exercised by all the people, either directly or through their elected representatives. Modern democracies are characterized by free and fair elections, universal suffrage, freedom of expression, freedom of association, protection of civil liberties, and equality under the law.

Democratic republic

A form of government (e.g., the United States) in which the supreme political power resides in the electorate, and its administration is exercised by representatives who are responsible to the people.

Depression

A period of economic decline.

Dictatorship

A government that is completely controlled by a single person or a single group that wields absolute power and is not bound by law. Dictatorships can take many forms. In a communist dictatorship, the government is ruled by one authoritarian party that takes complete control of centralized planning of the economy, eliminates the private ownership of property, and claims that all goods are shared by the people. A military dictatorship is a form of government in which all political power resides with the military (directed by a small group or a junta), or with one powerful member of the military. The term autocrat can be used to describe any ruler with unlimited power (also known as a despot).

Entrepreneur

One who organizes production and takes risks.

Fascism

Fascism refers to an authoritarian form of government which considers the nation to be more important than the individual.

Free goods

Goods that are unlimited in supply.

Free market economy

An economy, which resolves the basic economic problems through the market mechanism.

Geography

Geography is the study of people, places, and environments.

Human/environment interaction

When man and environment interact there is always an effect. Such consequences can be studied and lessons drawn from these effects.

Inherent Rights

The idea that the people have certain "natural rights" and create a government in order to have those rights protected.

Law of supply

The law of supply is when the quantity supplied is directly proportional to the price.

Law of demand

The law of demand is when the quantity demanded is inversely proportional to the price.

Liberal

Signifies an openness to change and respect for individual liberties within a societal framework in which all have equal opportunity.

Libertarians

Those believe in minimal government and resistance to government influence in our lives.

Location

Every point on earth has a specific location that is determined by an imaginary grid of lines (latitude and longitude). Latitude measures distances north and south of the equator, while longitude measures distances east and west of the Prime Meridian.

Map

A map is a graphic representation of a portion of Earth's surface drawn to a particular scale. Maps use colors, symbols, and labels to represent features found on Earth's surface.

Market

Occurs whenever buyers and sellers are in contact with each other.

Market Economic System

A market economic system is one in which decisions are the result of individual decisions by buyers and sellers in the marketplace. The United States is one such market economy.

Moderate

One who is pragmatic and has an aversion to ideology or ideological excesses. Characterized by a willingness to compromise.

Monopoly

A market structure where one firm supplies all output in the industry without facing competition because of high barriers to entry into the industry.

Movement

When people move they interact with each other and with their environment. A study of such movement will aid in understanding the connectivity and dependence of people in an environment.

Nazi

A form of fascism that holds that the few make decisions for the many.

Parliamentary democracy

A system that gives governmental authority to a legislature or parliament, which in turn selects the executive from among its own members.

Place

All places have characteristics that distinguish them and give them identity (character). Such character can be physical (topography or even animal life) or human (language, cultures).

Political

That which is of or relating to your views about social relationships involving authority or power; "political opinions."

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that ultimate political power resides with the people, who consent to be governed.

Primary Sources

Material from, or directly related to, the past. In History, primary sources are usually letters, records or other documents created during the period that is being studied, such as diaries, legal notices or accounts.

Progressive

One who actively campaigns for change.

Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior (actions) and mental processes (perceptions, thoughts, and feelings).

Public good

Exists where consumption by one person does not reduce the amount available for consumption by another person.

Recession

A recession is a period when economic growth slows and unemployment increases.

Recovery

A recovery is a period in which the economy moves from a recession to either stability or a boom.

Reserved Powers

The 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that "powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or the people." This amendment is the basis of federalism, which reserves for the states any powers not specifically granted to the federal government or withheld from the states.

Regions

A basic unit of geographic study is called a region; an area of the earth's surface that has certain unifying physical, human, or cultural characteristics. Such regions change over time.

Reparations

Payment or other compensation provided by a government to a group of people or to another country to compensate for loss or damage that it has caused. Internationally, reparations have been paid after a war by the losers to the winners, most notably by Germany after World War I

Sanskrit

Classical language of India in which sacred texts were written. Not generally used as a spoken language.

Scarcity

Exists when only a limited amount of resources can be obtained at any moment in time.

Separation of Powers

The division of powers among different branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial).

Slump

A slump is a period when output slows due to reduced demand for goods and services.

Socialism

Socialism is based on the belief that a society's economic system should be operated for the good of all rather than for the benefit of a few.

Sociology

Sociology is the study of social life, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior.

Traditional Economic System

A traditional economic system is one in which the people's economic roles are the same as their parents and grandparents (example: farming).

United States Constitution

The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land because no laws may contradict any of its principles and because no person or government is exempt from following it.

Utility

Satisfaction gained from consuming a good

 

 

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