The principle of popular sovereignty is the bedrock of

1. Analyze the question The question asks which system or ideology is built on "popular sovereignty," meaning the idea that supreme political authority belongs to the people.

2. Explain the concept Popular sovereignty means that:

• Government gets its legitimacy from the consent of the governed.
• Power ultimately rests with the citizens, who exercise it through elections, referendums, and representatives.
• Leaders are accountable to the people and hold office on their behalf.

This idea is associated with thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau (the "general will") and John Locke (government by consent).

3. Examine each option

• A. Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership and free markets. It says nothing about who holds political authority.
• B. Communism is an economic and political ideology based on collective ownership and, in practice, rule by a single party in the name of the working class. Sovereignty is not exercised directly by the people.
• C. Monarchy places sovereignty in a king or queen, so it is the opposite of popular sovereignty.
• D. Republicanism is a system in which the head of state is not a hereditary monarch and power derives from the people, who elect their representatives. Popular sovereignty is its foundation.
• E. Socialism is mainly an economic philosophy of state or collective ownership of the means of production. It is not defined by popular sovereignty.

4. Answer Republicanism is the system built on the principle that sovereignty belongs to the people.

5. Exam tip Link keywords to their ideas:

• Popular sovereignty → people hold power → Republic/Republicanism (and democracy).
• Divine right → Monarchy.
• Private ownership → Capitalism.
• Collective ownership → Socialism/Communism.

If an option is about economics (capitalism, socialism, communism) and the question is about political authority, it is usually a distractor.