Summary Social Studies Chapter 3
Politics is about making choices that all the citizens of a country are
required to follow, laid down in laws
Public issues in: (with examples)
- Prosperity (ensuring there are enough jobs)
- Public health (arranging vaccinations and enough hospital beds)
- Infrastructure (building and maintaining bridges, roads and dikes)
- Education (introducing a basic grant for students)
- Foreign relations (receiving refugees in Europe)
- Safety and security (fighting crime and terrorism)
- Agriculture and the environment (focusing on sustainable farming
and reducing carbon emissions)
Democracy: a form of government in which the people directly or
indirectly influence political decision-making
Referendum: a public vote about a specific political issue
Netherlands: indirect democracy (elected representatives in Parliament
make decisions) a.k.a. parliamentary democracy
Key characteristics of a parliamentary democracy:
- Rights of minorities are respected à fundamental right cannot be
casually set aside
- Separation of powers à groups cannot get acquire too much
power
- People elect representatives, who become members of Parliament
- Government and the Parliament make laws together (majority
must approve)
- There is individual freedom, you can express your opinion etc.
- Citizens have fundamental political rights:
- Anyone 18+ can vote and run for office as an elected
representative
- Anyone can establish a political party/association
- Elections are free and fair, held by secret vote
- Anyone can hold a protest/demonstration
- Freedom of the press
Authoritarian regime: all power is held by one person (dictatorship) or
a small group
There are authoritarian regimes based on ideology, religion and the
military
, Key characteristics of an authoritarian regime:
- No separation of powers or independent judges
- Opposition parties are banned, and elections are manipulated
- No rule of law and fundamental rights are not respected
- No freedom of the press and censorship: government controls the
media
- The military plays a major role in politics
An ideology (a set of ideas about what is important in society and about
the best way for people to co-exist) values personal freedom
Left: Right:
- Want to see active - Believe that people are
government intervention to personally responsible for
reduce inequality between bettering their lives
people - The government should avoid
- The government is there to excessive interference
protect people who are in
vulnerable positions
Between left and right: centrist
Liberalism:
- Everyone is equal
- Right
- Key values: personal freedom, economic freedom, individual
responsibility and tolerance
- Support a free-market economy and the welfare state
- The government should promote personal responsibility
- The government should not arrange too much
Social democracy:
- Not everyone has equal opportunities and privileges but should have
- Left
- Key values: solidarity and equality
- Not opposed to the free-market economy
- The government should ensure solidarity
Christian democracy/confessionalism:
- Want to achieve a society based on values from the Bible
- Centrist
- Key values: neighbourly love and solidarity
Politics is about making choices that all the citizens of a country are
required to follow, laid down in laws
Public issues in: (with examples)
- Prosperity (ensuring there are enough jobs)
- Public health (arranging vaccinations and enough hospital beds)
- Infrastructure (building and maintaining bridges, roads and dikes)
- Education (introducing a basic grant for students)
- Foreign relations (receiving refugees in Europe)
- Safety and security (fighting crime and terrorism)
- Agriculture and the environment (focusing on sustainable farming
and reducing carbon emissions)
Democracy: a form of government in which the people directly or
indirectly influence political decision-making
Referendum: a public vote about a specific political issue
Netherlands: indirect democracy (elected representatives in Parliament
make decisions) a.k.a. parliamentary democracy
Key characteristics of a parliamentary democracy:
- Rights of minorities are respected à fundamental right cannot be
casually set aside
- Separation of powers à groups cannot get acquire too much
power
- People elect representatives, who become members of Parliament
- Government and the Parliament make laws together (majority
must approve)
- There is individual freedom, you can express your opinion etc.
- Citizens have fundamental political rights:
- Anyone 18+ can vote and run for office as an elected
representative
- Anyone can establish a political party/association
- Elections are free and fair, held by secret vote
- Anyone can hold a protest/demonstration
- Freedom of the press
Authoritarian regime: all power is held by one person (dictatorship) or
a small group
There are authoritarian regimes based on ideology, religion and the
military
, Key characteristics of an authoritarian regime:
- No separation of powers or independent judges
- Opposition parties are banned, and elections are manipulated
- No rule of law and fundamental rights are not respected
- No freedom of the press and censorship: government controls the
media
- The military plays a major role in politics
An ideology (a set of ideas about what is important in society and about
the best way for people to co-exist) values personal freedom
Left: Right:
- Want to see active - Believe that people are
government intervention to personally responsible for
reduce inequality between bettering their lives
people - The government should avoid
- The government is there to excessive interference
protect people who are in
vulnerable positions
Between left and right: centrist
Liberalism:
- Everyone is equal
- Right
- Key values: personal freedom, economic freedom, individual
responsibility and tolerance
- Support a free-market economy and the welfare state
- The government should promote personal responsibility
- The government should not arrange too much
Social democracy:
- Not everyone has equal opportunities and privileges but should have
- Left
- Key values: solidarity and equality
- Not opposed to the free-market economy
- The government should ensure solidarity
Christian democracy/confessionalism:
- Want to achieve a society based on values from the Bible
- Centrist
- Key values: neighbourly love and solidarity
