Social Studies 30-2 key terms

A connected set of beliefs and values about how people should live together, what government should do, and what a good society looks like; it explains the world and guides action.

Something a person accepts as true or important, often without requiring proof; beliefs shape how people judge events and decide what to support.

A principle or quality a person or group considers important and worth protecting, such as freedom, equality, or order; values guide judgments about right and wrong.

The overall way a person or group understands reality, including assumptions about human nature and what matters most; ideologies rest on underlying worldviews.

The belief that a perfect society can be designed and achieved, usually by radically replacing existing institutions; critics say it ignores the limits of human nature.

A way of thinking that sees change as desirable and holds that society can be improved through reform, often using government action and new ideas.

Describing a person or group that wants to return to an earlier social or political order, resisting change and often wanting to reverse reforms already made.

The existing state of affairs, meaning the way things currently are in society or politics; defenders of the status quo resist major change.

Forcing people to act in a certain way through threats, punishment, or violence, so that they have no real choice; it is the opposite of persuasion.

Teaching people to accept a set of beliefs uncritically, without allowing questions or evidence; often used by governments or groups seeking control over thinking.

The belief that the individual person is the basic unit of society and the main source of value, with rights and interests that should be protected.

The belief that the group, whether a community, class, or nation, matters more than any single person, and that individual goals should give way to shared ones.

An ideology that values individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and limits on government power, usually protected by law and the consent of the governed.

An early form of liberalism stressing individual liberty, private property, free markets, and minimal government interference in the economy and in personal life.

The economic principle that government should not interfere in markets, letting businesses and individuals compete freely with little regulation, subsidy, or ownership.

The principle that everyone, including rulers and officials, must obey the same known laws, and no one stands above them; laws apply fairly and predictably.

The idea that people agree, implicitly or explicitly, to obey a government in exchange for protection of their rights, so government power depends on that consent.

Rights believed to belong to every person simply by being human, such as life, liberty, and property, and which government should not take away.

A system in which the powers of government are restricted by law, a constitution, or checks and balances, so that leaders cannot act without limits.

An economic system in which private owners invest capital, hire labour, and produce goods for profit in markets, with prices set mainly by supply and demand.

The shift from farming and handcrafts to factory production and machine power, which transformed work, cities, and class relations from the 1700s onward.

The right to vote in political elections; movements to extend suffrage widened it from propertied men to women and other excluded groups.

A system in which government takes responsibility for basic well-being through services and payments such as health care, pensions, and unemployment insurance, funded by taxes.

Organized efforts by workers, especially through unions, to improve wages, hours, and safety and to bargain collectively with employers.

An ideology that values tradition, order, and stability, is cautious about rapid change, and often emphasizes family, religion, and established institutions.

An ideology that seeks to reduce inequality by placing major economic resources under public or collective control and using planning or redistribution to meet social needs.

The theory of Karl Marx holding that history is driven by class conflict and that capitalism exploits workers and will eventually be replaced by a classless socialist society.

A political and economic system in which the state or community owns the main means of production, aiming at equality; in practice it often involved one-party rule.

An extreme nationalist ideology that glorifies the state and a strong leader, rejects liberal democracy and individual rights, and often relies on violence and propaganda.

A form of government that tries to control nearly every part of public and private life, using secret police, censorship, and a single official ideology.

A form of rule in which power is concentrated in a leader or small group with few checks, limited political freedom, and little tolerance for opposition.

A belief that a nation, a people sharing identity, history, or culture, should be self-governing, and that loyalty to the nation is a primary political value.

Membership in a political community that carries both rights and responsibilities, such as voting, obeying laws, and taking part in public life.

Basic entitlements held by all people, such as freedom of expression, fair treatment, and personal safety, often set out in international declarations and national laws.

The part of Canada's Constitution, adopted in 1982, that protects rights such as expression, religion, equality, and legal fairness, and can be enforced by courts.

Deliberately breaking a law peacefully and publicly to protest an injustice, usually while accepting the legal penalty, in order to change policy or public opinion.

An organized group that tries to influence government policy on a particular issue, such as a business association, a union, or an environmental organization.

The growing worldwide connection of economies, cultures, and communication through trade, investment, migration, and technology, spreading ideas and goods across borders.

A policy and outlook that accepts and supports cultural diversity, treating different ethnic and cultural groups as valued parts of one shared society.