Politics and Factions

Homework Due 1/14: Read Limiting Government and complete 2 pg worksheet

Learning Objectives Understand basic premises on politics Explain why Madison believed that a republican government was superior to a direct democracy. Describe Madison’s solution to the problem of faction. Draw a connection between Madison’s # 10 and the Keystone Pipeline: If we have time: Madison # 51, Dahl and Mills

Today’s Agenda Introduction to politics and government Read and annotate Madison’s # 10 (30 min) Answer questions 10 pts. Discuss Madison’s # 10 (20 min) Keystone Pipeline

Why do we have government? Governments provide order Governments provide for the general welfare Protects laws and property rights Regulates commerce and currency Provides public goods Addresses market failures (information problems and externalities) Protects individual civil liberties

What is Politics?

What is politics? Politics = The Process that determines what government does

Definition and Three key points on politics 3 points to know! Politics is Conflictual Political Process Matters Politics is everywhere

Madison # 10 Introduction Madison wrote Federalist 10 to counter the argument that democracies inevitably dissolve into turmoil and disorder caused by factions which ignore the national interest in favor of their own interests. The consensus of late 19 th century political thought was that a monarchy was needed to restrain the destructive tendency of faction. Today, the opponents of democracy make similar arguments in behalf of undemocratic forms of government.

Federalist # 10 Reading Questions (10 points.) On a separate piece of paper write the answers to the following: What is a faction? What causes faction? What is Madison’s problem with direct democracy? Would removing the causes of faction solve the problem? How does Madison propose controlling the effects of faction? What are the advantages of a large republic?

Discussion Questions Does Madison consider factions to be good or bad? Does Madison have an idealistic or realistic view of human nature? What’s the basis for your answer? Would you expect that a republican government would be less likely to succeed in an under-developed society with few interest groups than it would in a modern industrial society with a large number of organized interests? Why or why not?

Pipeline Questions Write down the following: Who are the factions in the pipeline project? Who wants the bill to pass who does not? How would Madison view this situation? Who can block Keystone? The Keystone pipeline is not very important economically or environmentally so why is it a political issue?

Current Event: Keystone Pipeline NYT: pipeline-nebraska-supreme-court- transcanada.html?_r=0http:// pipeline-nebraska-supreme-court- transcanada.html?_r=0 NPR: supporters-hope-amendments-will-soften-pipeline- opposition supporters-hope-amendments-will-soften-pipeline- opposition