2010 - WAEC Government Past Questions and Answers - page 2

Totalitarianism is a political concept of a mode of government that prohibits opposition parties, restricts individual opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private life.

Political culture takes into account the attitudes, values, and beliefs that people in a society have about the political system, including standard assumptions about the way that government works. The building blocks of political culture include the beliefs, opinions, and emotions of the citizens toward their form of government.

The cognitive orientation represents our interpretation of personal experience in contact with the physical world

Marx's theory of class defines classes in their relation to their ownership and control of the means of production. In a capitalist society, the bourgeoisie, or the capitalist class, is the class that owns the means of production and derives a passive income from their operation.

Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity that ensures diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws, but they can still be expelled.

An ombudsman, ombudsperson, ombud, or public advocate is an official who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or a violation of rights.

An absolute monarchy is a form of monarchy where the ruler rules a state and its citizens (i.e., his subjects) without any legal or political interference. ✦ In this form of government, power is usually passed onto children or family. he monarch can put as much tax as they wish and doesnt need to follow their advisors if they have any. In short, power only under that of God. An example of absolute monarch is Haile Salessie of Ethiopia.

He was an old-style absolute monarch who ruled his nation with a sense of paternalism. He believed he knew what is best for Ethiopia. He believed he knew what is best for Ethiopia. He sought to modernize a feudal system but failed to undertake land reform.

The following are some basic characteristics of a unitary state

(a) The central government not only has the power to dissolve the subordinate levels it has created, it can equally modify or reduce the powers given to them.

(b) The subordinate levels are created as agents of the center to administer the local areas on behalf of the centre and to also convey the wishes of the people in the local areas to the center where real power lies.

(c) A unitary government may either operate a unicameral or bicameral legislature. For example Ghana and Britain are unitary states, with the former operating a unicameral while the latter a bicameral legislature.

Federalism is the mixed or compound mode of government, combining a general government with regional governments in a single political system. the following are some key features of federalism

• The presence of constituent parts called republics, states, etc.
• The relations between the federation and its entities are governed by the Federal Constitution.
• Foreign policy activities are conducted by the federal government on behalf of all entities.
• The bicameral structure of the federal parliament where one is the organ of the federal government, and the other is representing the interests of the federation (this is a mandatory feature of a federal state). with a Written Constitution
• The regions may issue their own constitution, decrees and other normative-legal acts that will be legal in their territory on a par with the federal constitution and federal laws.
• The subjects of the federation can have their own flags, emblems anthems and all other signs of the state, except state sovereignty.
• The subjects of the federation cannot be independent subjects of international relations.
   

In the context of Nigerian federalism, exclusive legislative list is the list on which matters over which only the federal authority can legislate are enumerated. This is contained in Part I of the Second Schedule of the 1999 constitution. There are 68 of such matters.