Textbook

Chapter 1American in the 21st Century

•Government Basics

•Citizens and Government

•What Americans Think about Government

•American at Odds - Polarization

The Political Society• No rules or laws are needed in the state of

nature.

• However, as we formed societies, we demanded the imposition of rules to govern innate “social conflict”.

• The political systems created to impose rules have varied throughout history.

Politics

• Politics is the process of resolving social conflict over the distribution of limited resources.

• It is the process of deciding who will make the rules about what and how and to whom societies resources will be given.

• Politics is ubiquitous.

From Family to Tribe to State

• Nation - sociological term

• State - political term

• State of Nature

• Divine Theory

• Social Contract Theory

• Force Theory

• Natural Theory

Government

• The institutions and procedures through which a territory and people are ruled.

• Governments vary in size, structure, and operational rules bases on many factors.

• Provides for conflict resolution, defense, safety, and economic prosperity.

Forms of Government

• Autocracy (One)

• Oligarchy/Aristocracy (Few)

• Democracy (Many)

• Theocracy

Autocracy

• A government in which a single individual—a king, queen, or dictator—rules.

• King Richard I, also known as Richard the Lion- Hearted, led Britain from 1189–99.

• Sadam Hussein, Hitler, Stalin, and Castro were/are all examples of dictators.

Oligarchy or Aristocracy

• A government in which a small group—landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants—controls most of the governing decisions

• Louis XVI was symbolic of the French aristocracy.

• The Royal Family in Saudi Arabia is an example of an aristocratic oligarchy.

Democracy

• A government in which political power is vested in the people.

• Direct democracy provides for decision making by all of the people.

• Representative democracy or a Republic provides for representatives chosen by the people.

Democratic Philosophy

• The evolution of democratic principles took centuries.

• The philosophers and great thinkers of past and present contributed much to our understanding of democracy.

Democracy in Action• The concept of self-government was

discussed by the ancient Greeks but fell out of favor.

• Democratic theory was revived in the United States in the 1780s.—Representative democracy was believed to be the

only viable form of democracy for the United States.

—The presidential campaign is democracy in action.

Representative Democracy

• Today, most nation-states operate under the concept of representative democracy.

• Individuals are elected by the citizens to represent them in the affairs of civil society.

How Do Governments Govern?

• Constitutional

• Authoritarian

• Totalitarian

Constitutional

• Constitutional governments are limited as to what they are permitted to control (substantive) as well as how they go about it (procedural).

Authoritarian

• Authoritarian governments are kept in check by other political or social institutions such as the army, an organized church, organized business groups, or labor.

Totalitarian

• Totalitarian governments are free from legal limits and seek to eliminate those organized social groups that might challenge or limit the governments’ authority.

Purpose of Government in the United States

• We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty….

• From the days of the Constitutional Convention until today, Americans have been arguing about the best way to accomplish these purposes.

Principles of American Democracy

• Individual Freedom (Liberty)

• Equality - political, economic, social

• Constitutionalism– Majority rule protecting minority rights– Voluntary consent of governed.

The Initial Debate:The Proper Role of

Government• The Founders were divided over the proper

size and role of government.

—The Federalists wanted a strong central government to promote commerce, prevent political strife, and protect international interests.

—The Antifederalists feared that a strong central government would endanger liberty, thereby favoring weaker and decentralized government.

The Current Debate• The conflict continues today between

conservatives (Republicans) and liberals (Democrats).

—Conservatives (Republicans) seek a strong government to protect economic interests, public morality, and international interests, and generally prefer state government action.

—Liberals (Democrats) seek a strong national government to protect civil liberties, the environment, and to provide economic security.

The American at OddsThe Power of the Federal Government

• Americans are generally concerned about granting too much power to the government.

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Confidence in the Leadership of the Nation’s Major Institutions

Trust in Government• Americans have become less trusting of their

government over the last forty years—By 1994, only one-quarter of Americans expressed

trust in government

Why the Decline in Trust?

• Government has grown too large and unresponsive.—Federal power grew in response to the Great

Depression

• Government action against particular groups:—Tuskegee Experiments (1932),

—Branch Davidians,

—Ruby Ridge.

Polarization of Electorate

• Rich versus poor

• Young versus old

• Men versus women

• White versus black

• Left versus right

• Liberal versus conservative

Redefining Republican Democracy

• Pluralistic Democracy - peoples interest represented by various special interest groups.

• Elitism Theory - American Republic is not a democracy but rather an oligarchy made up of large corporations and special interest groups.

• Education and income allows certain individuals to be part of the ruling class.

Citizenship & Government:The Importance of Knowledge

• Citizens must have the knowledge needed to participate in the political process:—knowledge of government,

—knowledge of politics,

—knowledge of democratic principles.

• Americans, however, are poorly informed and uninterested.