Social 30-1 Midterm Exam Review
Your midterm exam will consist of the following:
30 Multiple Choice based on Modules 1, 2, 3 and 4 of your course
15 Glossary Definitions based on the glossary definitions below
10 Short answer questions
1 Long answer, essay based question on one or more of the ideological perspectives you have studied
thus far
In order to study for this exam, you should review the material in modules 1, 2, 3 and 4. You should also
review the glossary definitions below, and you should study the points below.
1. Communism and Fascism – characteristics, similarities, differences, relationship to liberalism
2. Economic theories, including free market, fiscal and monetary policy
3. Nazi Germany and the policies, inter-war years
4. Characteristics of authoritarian regimes
5. The political spectrum
6. Liberal and conservative ideologies
7. Radicals and reactionaries- what’s the difference?
8. Collective society characterisitics and property
9. Hitler Youth
10. Capitalism and mercantilism
11. Advantages and disadvantages of collation governments
12. Canada as a welfare state
13. Usage of referendums
14. Key points of Keynesian economics
15. Advantages and disadvantages of first-past-the-post electoral systems
Glossary terms to review:
1. belief: a notion, conviction, or impression that an individual or group accepts as true
2. collective identity: aspects of an individual's identity that are held in common with a
larger group
3. personal identity: a set of characteristics that connects or sets people apart from others
4. ideology: a set of beliefs or values, in particular those which form the basic components
of a political or economic theory or system
5. value: a principle, philosophy, or code that defines what is important or desirable
6. autonomy: a state of individual freedom from outside authority
7. collectivism: an approach to social organization that puts the needs of the group as a
whole above the needs and rights of individuals within the group
8. common good: the well-being of the an entire group as opposed to specific individuals
within that group
9. conservative: a person or ideology opposed to, or cautious about, change
10. counter-revolutionary (reactionary): a person or ideology that vehemently resists
change or seeks change back to a previous state. Counter-revolutionaries may advocate
violence to achieve their goals.
11. extremist: a person who has fanatical or immoderate views and beliefs
12. individualism: an approach to social organization that promotes individual rights over
group needs and advocates personal independence
13. labour movement: a term used to describe efforts by workers to organize themselves
into larger groups with the goals of improving wages, working conditions, and other
benefits
14. left wing: a term applied to ideologies, governments, political parties, and policies that
promote change
15. liberal: a person or ideology that advocates moderate and gradual change
16. moderate: a person or ideology that shuns extremism and rejects violence as a means to
achieving political or social goals
17. radical: a person or ideology that advocates rapid and substantial change, often through
violent means
18. revolutionary: a person or ideology that advocates rapid and substantial change, often
through violent means
19. right wing: a term applied to ideologies, governments, political parties, and policies that
resist change or promote change that will return society to a previous state or condition
20. self-reliance: the quality of being solely responsible for one’s own well-being
21. welfare state: a state in which the economy is capitalist, but the government uses
policies which modify—either directly or indirectly—the market forces in order to ensure
economic stability and a basic standard of living for its citizens
22. partisan: strongly, or even fanatically, in favour of an idea, a political party, or a cause
23. indoctrination: teaching a person or group to adopt a biased set of beliefs without
critically analyzing the beliefs
24. competition: in terms of economics, the concept that those who produce and sell goods
compete with one another for consumer dollars
25. economic freedom: the concept that individuals should be able to own property and
produce and sell goods with minimal interference from government
26. individual rights and freedoms: the universally accepted or legally granted power of the
individual to engage in certain activities and to exercise certain privileges
27. private property: property that is owned by individuals or groups of individuals as
opposed to owned by the government
28. rule of law: the concept that all individuals, regardless of wealth, social status, or
political power, are equally subject to the law
29. self-interest: the economic or political advancement of the individual as opposed to the
group or society
30. direct democracy: a governmental system in which all eligible citizens vote directly on
issues before the government
31. divine right of kings: the theory that absolute monarchs held power because God had
chosen them to rule
32. free market system: an economic system in which individuals are free to own property,
produce goods, and buy or sell goods and services with little or no government
interference. Other words used to describe the free market system include capitalism, the
market system, free enterprise, and private enterprise.
33. invisible hand: in economics, the concept that individual self-interest and competition
would regulate the economy
34. laissez-faire: an economic theory or system that advocates little or no government
interference in the economic affairs of the people
35. mercantilism: an economic system that was characterized by efforts to restrict trade
between nations, to regulate economic activity, and to accumulate gold bullion in the
national treasury
36. natural rights: universal rights deemed to be automatically granted to all humans at birth
37. oligarchy: a governmental system in which power is concentrated in the hands of a small
group of unelected people
38. self-regulating: not requiring external control or intervention
39. social contract: the concept that an unwritten contract exists between the government
and the governed. Under a social contract the people agree to obey the laws, provided the
government does not undermine the citizens’ natural rights.
40. tyranny of the majority: a situation in which a majority group infringes on the basic
rights of a minority
41. capital: money, property, or other assets that can be used by an individual or a group to
generate more wealth
42. class structure: the division of society based on factors such as wealth, social standing,
education, and political power
43. classical conservatism: an ideology that rejected the ideals of classical liberalism but
that advocates a return to more traditional forms of economics and government
44. humanitarian: a person, group, or act that attempts to improve the living conditions of
other people
45. Marxism: an ideology that advocates revolution as a means of creating a worker’s
society founded on the principle of complete state ownership and control of the economy
Marxism is also known as communism or scientific socialism.
46. nouveau riche: people who have become rich recently, as opposed to those who have
inherited family wealth over a period of generations. Nouveau riche literally means “the
new rich.”
47. socialism: any of a variety of ideologies that advocate significant levels of state control
of the economy with the intent of providing for the needs of all citizens
48. utopian: perfect; usually used in reference to an imaginary world in which the typical
problems of human society have been overcome
49. bicameral legislature: a legislature that is comprised of two legislative “houses,” both of
which must approve a bill before it becomes law
50. bill: a proposed law under consideration by the government
51. coalition government: in a parliamentary system, this term describes a situation where
two or more rival parties agree to work together; combining the seats they have won in an
election in order to have a sufficient number of seats to form the government
52. Electoral College system: the method used to select the president of the United States in
which voters cast ballots for official electors who then vote to select the president.
53. electorate: the citizens within a population who are eligible to vote
54. federal system: a system of government under which power is divided between the
national government and provincial, state or territorial governments
55. first-past-the-post: an electoral system in which the winning candidate is the one who
receives the highest number of votes; also called the simple plurality system
56. majority government: in a parliamentary system, this term describes a situation where
the governing party has more than 50 percent of the available seats in the legislature
57. minority government: in a parliamentary system, this term describes a situation where
the governing party has more seats than any other party in the legislature, but has less
than 50 percent of the total seats
58. popular vote: the percentage of the total votes cast received by a candidate or a political
party
59. progressivism: a liberal movement of the early twentieth century that sought political,
economic, and social reform in the United States
60. popular vote: the percentage of the total votes cast received by a candidate or a political
party
61. recall: a political process in which the electorate, by way of a new election outside of the
timeframe of regular general elections, may reverse a previous decision to elect an
individual to public office
62. referendum: a direct vote by the electorate on an issue of importance. This is also
known as a plebiscite.
63. representation by population: a system under which individuals elected to government
represent roughly similar numbers of citizens
64. secret ballot: the provision that voters should be able to cast their ballots in private, and
that no other individual should know how a person voted unless the voter chose to share
that information
65. simple plurality system: an electoral system in which the winning candidate is the one
who receives the highest number of votes; also called first-past-the-post
66. single member constituency: a system under which a single individual represents the
citizens of a riding or constituency
67. suffrage: the right to vote. This is also known as a franchise.
68. residual powers: the constitutional right of a level of government to legislate matters not
explicitly referred to in the constitution
69. bank run: a situation in which large depositors at a bank attempt to withdraw their
savings at the same time, usually resulting in the bankruptcy of the financial institution
70. consumerism: an economic philosophy based on the continued and increasing
consumption of goods by the population
71. deficit: the negative value obtained when expenditures exceed income
72. demand-side economics: an economic theory that advocates direct government
intervention in the economy through fiscal measures such as government spending and
taxation; also called Keynsian economics
73. fiscal policy: government policies with respect to spending and taxation
74. Great Depression: a deep and prolonged economic downturn that lasted through most of
the 1930s
75. income disparity: the difference in earnings between the wealthy and poorer members of
society
76. inflation: a decrease in the purchasing power of money, typically characterized by rising
prices and demands for increases in wages
77. monetary policy: a policy designed to control the economy by increasing or limiting the
supply of money available; usually controlled by a central bank
78. monopoly: in business, a situation in which one company has exclusive control of the
production and/ or retail of a particular good or service
79. neo-liberalism: literally “new-liberalism”; an economic philosophy that returns to many
of the basic economic ideals laid out by classical liberal economists like Adam Smith
80. New Deal: an economic program instituted by Franklin Roosevelt’s administration
during the 1930s
This program was characterized by the increased government regulation of private
industry, massive government spending on public works projects and government
programs to aid the economically disadvantaged.
81. Reaganomics: the term given to the supply-side economic policies instituted under the
administration of U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s
82. social programs: government programs that provide financial aid and health, education,
and similar services to certain groups within the population
83. stagflation: a situation in which an economy appears to be in recession but is still subject
to rising prices and wage demands
84. supply-side economics: an economic school of thought that advocates reducing taxes,
especially for the wealthy, and reducing government regulation in the economy
85. trickle-down economics: the concept that, under a supply-side approach to economics,
tax breaks for the wealthy would encourage investment and create jobs, thereby allowing
wealth to “trickle-down” to the middle and lower classes
86. trust: in business, an arrangement where companies in the same industry agree not to
compete with one another, thereby artificially controlling the price of the goods or
services they provide
87. welfare capitalism: a term used to describe a situation where industrialists initiate
programs and policies that benefit their workers; a system that combines liberal economic
ideals with government legislation, policies, and programs that protect worker rights and
provide basic services like health care and unemployment insurance
88. welfare state: a term used to describe a situation where government provides for many of
the material, social, and economic needs of the population
Services may include financial support for the unemployed, health and dental care, child
care, grade school and post-secondary education, as well as funding for public
transportation, parks, and the arts.
