political culture and ideology applying the principles of the declaration of independence
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Major Themes of the Declaration of Independence
Among these rights: LifeLibertyPursuit of happiness
Self evident truths
Human equality
Natural rights
Purpose of gov’t
Measure of Justice
Right of revolution
Limits to theright of revolution
To secure rights
Consent of the governed
Whenever any form of gov’t is destructive of the security of natural rights
Prudence: Long-established gov’ts shouldn’t be overthrown for “light and transient causes”
Experience: Men are more disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable than to right themselves
All men are created equal
We hold these truths to be self-evident
They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights
Political Culture
• A general set of Ideas, attitudes and beliefs• Shapes a region’s politics• Political Cultures in the US may identify with certain
principles in the Declaration of Independence• Political culture sometimes confused with ideology• Most communities in the US participate in at least one of
the following:– Traditionalism– Individualism– Moralism
TraditionalismBasic features Associated region Advantages Disadvantages
•Strong attachment to long-established institutions•Preference for traditional ‘modes and orders’•Suspicion of change•Family legacies
The “Old South”:South CarolinaNorth CarolinaVirginiaTennesseeGeorgiaMississippiAlabamaLouisianaTexas
StabilityPredictabilityLaws and customs tend to remain constant
InflexibilityLack of social mobilityTolerance of corruption in the public sectorHostility to reform Fatalism
Examples:“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”“You can’t fight city hall.”Uncontested electionsPolitical Dynasties (Bush, Thurmond, Moncrieff, Kennedy)
IndividualismBasic features Associated region Advantages Disadvantages
•Strong belief in self-reliance•Preference for individual and independent action; free enterprise•Suspicion of public institutions•Resistance to regulation•“The Self-Made Man”
The “Old West”:WyomingTexasColoradoNew MexicoArizonaNevadaMontanaNorth DakotaSouth Dakota
OpportunityPrivacyRecognition of individual effortsAccountability
IsolationLack of community supportIntolerance of public sector involvementTolerance of corruption in the private sector, provided one isn’t caught
Examples:“You’ll get my gun when you pry it from my cold dead hands.”“You’ve got nobody to blame but yourself.”Entrepreneurs, independent contractors“Caveat emptor”
MoralismBasic features Associated region Advantages Disadvantages
•Strong belief in community, “commonwealth”•Preference for formal community action•Suspicion of private institutions and interests•Strong regulatory presence
“New England”:MassachusettsNew HampshireConnecticutMaineNew YorkPennsylvaniaAlso prevalent in the Pacific NW and in capital cities
CommunityAccountabilityActive social support structures“safety nets”
•Intrusiveness•Tolerance of corruption in the public sector if it serves the “moral duty” of serving the commonwealth•Inaction unless initiated by community officials•High public debt; high taxes
Examples:“Did you bring enough for everybody?”“We’re from the government and we’re here to help you.”Social Security, social welfare programsPublic education programs
Political Culture v. Ideology
• Political Culture• A set of general
attitudes, ideas and beliefs
• Broadly informs and shapes a region’s politics
• Ideology• A set of specific
attitudes, ideas and beliefs
• Provides or advocates a coherent plan for social, political, or economic action
Examples of ideologies• Political ideologies
– Libertarianism– Liberalism– Conservatism– Anarchism– Socialism– Fascism– Communism– Communitarianism– Statism
• Economic ideologies– capitalism– communism– globalism– protectionism– Keynesianism– monetarism– Market fundamentalism
• Social ideologies– Tribalism– Ethnocentrism– Nationalism– Feminism– Multiculturalism– Supremacism
What ideology Is
• A set of specific ideas, attitudes and beliefs
• Provides or advocates a coherent plan for social, political, or economic action
• Plan is consistent with, and is explained in terms of, the ideas, attitudes and beliefs held
What ideology is not:• Ideology is not political culture
– Traditionalists are not necessarily conservatives
– Liberals are not necessarily moralists
• Ideology is not partisanship– Democrats are not necessarily liberal
– Republicans are not necessarily conservative
• Ideology is not a policy position– E.g. Abortion
• advocates are not necessarily libertarian or liberal • opponents are not necessarily conservative or libertarian
– E.g. Immigration• “Open border” advocates are not necessarily libertarian globalists• “Closed border” advocates are not necessarily conservative ethnocentrists
Comparative Ideology 1: Left and Right Wings
Origins in the French National Assembly
Motto of the French Revolution: Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité
(liberty, equality, brotherhood)
Revolutionary Advocates of Liberté and Egalité, opposing the ancien régime (the Old Order) sat
on the left side of the room
Advocates of Liberté and Fraternité, sympathetic
to the ancien régime, sat on the right side of the room
This distinction grafted onto the American Congress in the early
19th Century