US Political Culture

Dr Simon Boucher ~ bouches@tcd.ie

Government and Politics of the USALecture 5:

Required reading…• McKay chap 2• Singh chap 2

Additional resources…• Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America• Louis Hartz, The Liberal Tradition in America• Roger Smith, “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal and Hartz: The

Multiple Traditions in America”. APSR 87.3, Sept 1993• John Kenneth Galbraith, The Culture of Contentment• Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone

Plus see the course website…• http://uspoliticstcd.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Readings for today

Agenda

• What is political culture?

• Basic values of US political culture

• Additional influences on US political culture

• “American exceptionalism”

What is “political culture”?

Beliefs and values about how…• Government• Political and• Economic…

"The orientation of the citizens of a nation toward politics, their perceptions

of political legitimacy and the traditions of political practice."

…Life should be carried out

within a state

• Formed by socialisation– Parents - Friends - School– Work - Media - Religion

• What happens when political culture greatly diverges from political institutions?– Regime change– Country fragments

How is political culture formed?

Often independent of political authority

Basics of US Political Culture

• Most commentators agree the foundations of US political culture– Liberty– Equality– Individualism– Democracy– The rule of law under the Constitution

In the US, the political culture typically supports and reinforces the political system:

“It has been our fate as a nation not to haveideologies, but to be one” (Richard Hofstadter)

Basics of US Political Culture

Most commentators agree the foundations of US political culture…

In the US, the political culture typically supports and reinforces the political system:

“It has been our fate as a nation not to haveideologies, but to be one” (Richard Hofstadter)

Liberty Equality

Individualism

Democracy

Rule of law

Liberty

• Tends to be felt stronger by elites

• Tends to be more general than specific

• Has clearly increased in last 50 years

• Liberal attitudes stronger in certain regions

• Antipathy remains to certain non-American values– Islam– Big brother-state

Equality

Americans have…• Equality of estimation• Equality of opportunity • Equality before the law

But…• Dialogue of equality

masks considerable de facto economic inequality

Individualism

“Americanism” characterised by stress on individual rather than collective action…

• “Self-reliant roots in Puritanism

• Collectivist political parties absent

• Trade union membership low

• Public antipathy to welfare dependence

• Reinforced by the success of capitalism

But economic individualism doesn’t automatically imply cultural individualism

Democracy and the rule of law

• Americans devoted to majoritarianism

• Election legitimacy usually accepted

• Belief in Constitution and the rule of law

• General admiration for the US system; system remains relatively stable

• Differences over the system accommodated without challenging order

Americans’ distinctive views on…

• Liberty• Equality• Individualism• Democracy• The rule of law under

the Constitution

The concept of “Americanism”

Collectivelyform a political culture

known as “Americanism”.

• Devotion to Americanism is striking• Ideological consensus on key points supported

by virtually all social and political groups

Other influences upon US political culture

• Immigration

• Social structure

• Race and ethnicity

• Religion

Immigration

America is built on an “ideology of immigration”

…Population has grown• 20% per decade until 1920• 10% per decade since 1920• 12 million immigrants in 1990s

• Frequently caps and restrictions placed on immigrants over US history

• Immigration has become increasingly controversial due to illegal immigration

• Bush’s attempted to address it failed spectacularly

HOWEVER

Home of the middle class?

• Traditionally America has been essentially middle class, eschewing both working class and aristocratic values

• 2002: 45% of American workers in professional, technical, managerial or administrative jobs

• Highly educated society• High level of home and stock ownership

• US history NOT free from class conflict• Distribution of American wealth and income highly

unequal• Some groups in society actually getting poorer

HOWEVER

Race and ethnicity

• US has a highly diverse ethnic composition

• African, Hispanic and Asian groups remain particularly distinctive

• Race issues clearly important, but almost always with context of established institutions and political parties

Religion

• America is a highly religious country• Multiplicity of religions • Traditionally, religion not a source of major

social division• Christian right has est. considerable

political influence in last 20 years• Faith-related issues increasingly

controversial• “War on terror” a “war on Islam”?

HOWEVER• Political success of religious right mixed• Influence over-exaggerated?

Liberty

Equality

Individualism

Democracy Social structure

Immigration

Religion

Race

The American

Dream

American Exceptionalism?

Components of US political culture

American “Exceptionalism”

A prevailing assumption that the US is unique…• Historical evolution

• Ethnic diversity

• Absence of class politics

• Based upon ideals, not ethnicity

• Sophistication of Constitutional system

… And superior?• “Manifest destiny”

• Social mobility

• Economic and military power

• Moral superiority- above international law

…As long as Americans believe it,

it doesn’t matter whether it is true or not

The coming weeks

4-5pm this week: Dr Bill McSweeney• Read class material

– 2 journalistic articles; 10 pages– Prepare questions

• Come ready to participate

Weeks 4 & 5: No lectures, essay titles announced

Week 6: lectures AND tutorials• Federalism • The Republican Presidential candidates

Tutorial groups reminder

• 2 tutorial groups: – Group A on Tuesdays @ 4pm in 3020– Group B on Thursdays @ 11am in 4046

• Sign up to a tutorial group by emailing Jane (suiterj@tcd.ie)

• Places on first-come, first served basis

• Once you sign up to a group please stick to it

• Two Michaelmas term tutorials in weeks 6 and 8