CHSE Odisha Elective Political Science flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Sovereignty

The supreme and final authority of the state within its territory and its independence from external control. It is the defining feature distinguishing the state from other associations.

Social contract theory

The view that the state arose from an agreement among people to escape the insecurity of the state of nature. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau gave different versions and outcomes.

Hobbes' state of nature

A condition of war of every man against every man, driven by competition, diffidence and glory. Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short, so people surrender liberty to an absolute sovereign.

Locke's natural rights

Life, liberty and property, which Locke says exist in the state of nature and are retained after the social contract. Government is a trust and may be overthrown if it violates them.

Rousseau's general will

The will of the people directed at the common good rather than private interests. It is always right, cannot be represented, and grounds popular sovereignty and direct democracy.

Monistic sovereignty

Austin's and Bodin's view that sovereignty is absolute, indivisible, unlimited and located in a determinate person or body. It rejects division of sovereign authority.

Pluralist sovereignty

The view of Laski, Duguit and MacIver that sovereignty is limited and shared among associations. The state is only one association among many and not omnipotent.

Negative liberty

Freedom as the absence of external restraint or coercion on individual action. Associated with Berlin and classical liberalism, it asks who interferes and over what area.

Positive liberty

Freedom as self-mastery and the capacity to realise one's potential. It may require enabling conditions, but critics warn it can justify paternalistic state control.

Distributive justice

Justice in the allocation of benefits and burdens across society. Rawls' difference principle permits inequalities only if they benefit the least advantaged members.

Rawls' veil of ignorance

A hypothetical device in the original position where people choose principles of justice without knowing their own talents, status or conception of the good.

Rule of law

The principle that law is supreme, applied equally and impartially, and that no one is punished except for a breach of law. Dicey's formulation includes due process and equality before law.

Separation of powers

Montesquieu's doctrine dividing legislature, executive and judiciary into distinct organs with distinct functions. Checks and balances prevent concentration and tyranny.

Parliamentary government

A system where the executive is drawn from and responsible to the legislature. The council of ministers stays in office only while it holds the confidence of the lower house.

Federalism

A system dividing powers between a central government and constituent units, each sovereign in its sphere. It usually requires a written rigid constitution and an independent judiciary.

Proportional representation

An electoral system allocating seats in proportion to votes won, often using party lists or single transferable vote. It tends to reflect minor parties better than first-past-the-post.

Pressure groups

Organised groups that seek to influence public policy without contesting elections for power. They are sectional, such as trade unions, or promotional, such as environmental groups.

Satyagraha

Gandhi's method of non-violent resistance based on truth and self-suffering. It seeks to convert the opponent through moral force rather than coerce through violence.

Gandhi's trusteeship

The idea that owners hold wealth in trust for society and should use it for the community's welfare. It aims to reconcile capital and labour without violent class conflict.

Marx's class struggle

The conflict between owners of means of production and wage labourers, which Marx sees as the engine of historical change. It culminates in a classless, stateless communist society.

Preamble of Indian Constitution

The introductory statement declaring India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and listing justice, liberty, equality and fraternity as objectives. The words socialist and secular were added in 1976.

Fundamental Rights

Justiciable rights in Part III, Articles 12 to 35, of the Indian Constitution. They limit state power and are enforced by courts through writs.

Directive Principles

Non-justiciable guidelines in Part IV, Articles 36 to 51, directing the state toward social and economic welfare. Courts treat them as fundamental in governance.

Writ of habeas corpus

A court order requiring a person detaining another to produce the detainee and justify the detention. It protects personal liberty against unlawful custody.

Basic structure doctrine

The principle from Kesavananda Bharati (1973) that Parliament cannot amend essential features of the Constitution such as supremacy of the Constitution and judicial review.

Article 356

The provision allowing the President to assume the government of a state on failure of constitutional machinery, commonly called President's rule. It requires parliamentary approval within two months.

Article 368

The amendment procedure of the Indian Constitution, requiring a special majority in both Houses. Federal provisions also need ratification by at least half the state legislatures.

73rd Amendment

The 1992 amendment constitutionalising Panchayati Raj with three tiers, five-year terms, reservations and State Election Commissions. It added Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule.

Election Commission of India

A constitutional body under Article 324 that superintends elections to Parliament, State Legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President. It registers parties and allots symbols.

Non-alignment

India's Cold War policy of not joining either superpower bloc while pursuing national interest and anti-colonial solidarity. It led to the Non-Aligned Movement founded in 1961.

Panchsheel

The five principles of peaceful coexistence signed by India and China in 1954, covering sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality and peaceful settlement of disputes.

UN Security Council veto

The power of the five permanent members to block substantive resolutions. It is a central issue in India's campaign for permanent membership and Council reform.

Globalisation

The growing interdependence of economies and societies through trade, investment, technology and information flows. It brings growth and cultural exchange but also inequality and sovereignty concerns.