American Political Culture Chapter Four American Political Culture

Political Efficacy Political efficacy: citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events “Can I make a difference in this country?” “Do politicians care what people like me think?” “Does my voice and vote count? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

QUESTIONS FOR GRAPH What is the major trend shown in this graph? Define “political efficacy.” What types of things can affect the American levels of efficacy? Why do you think levels of efficacy dipped in the mid-1960’s and in the mid-1990’s How do levels of efficacy affect the functions of democracy? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Figure 4.2: External Political Efficacy Index, 1952-2004 Insert figure 4.1 Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Political Culture What is Culture? Political Culture: A distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out which is passed from generation to generation Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Modern Democracies with Different Political Cultures Most modern democracies have vastly difference political cultures--why? ______________differences are the physical characteristics of a population such as: age, sex, marital status, family size, education, geographic location, and occupation. __________________ of individual countries plays a large role in the development of class consciousness Differing ideas of the proper ____________________. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Political Values ____________– rights and freedoms ____________ – equal vote; equal chance to participate and succeed ____________ – government is accountable to the people _____________ – take community affairs seriously and become involved when possible _________________ – individuals responsible for their own actions and well-being Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Beliefs About Economics Americans support ________________but support some limits on marketplace freedom Americans believe in_________________but not equality of result Americans have a widely shared commitment to ____________________ Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

The Civic Role of Religion Americans are _____________ than most citizens in European democracies Both liberals and conservatives have used the ______________ to promote _______ change Civil rights movement was led by black religious leaders In the 1980s and 1990s, conservative Christians became a strong political force in all levels of politics Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Political Culture Americans tend to assert their ____________ Emphasize _______________, competition, equality, following rules, treating others fairly but impersonally Some other countries put more emphasis on ___________ and ____________ Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Sources of Political Culture American Revolution was essentially over liberty—asserting _____________ Widespread (not universal) _____________ permitted by Constitution Absence of an established national religion made ________________ inevitable ____________ instills how we think about world and politics Not a high degree of _________ consciousness Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

The “Culture War” The cultural clash in America is a battle over __________ The culture war differs from political disputes The culture conflict is animated by deep differences in people’s beliefs about morality……. does it really? Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Two Cultural Camps in the “Cultural War” Orthodox: _____________ is as, or more, important than self-expression; morality derives from fixed rules from God (anti-drugs, anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, anti-sex education etc…) Progressive: ____________________ is as, or more, important than tradition; rules change based on circumstances of modern life and individual preferences (more open to above mentioned topics)

Mistrust of Government There is evidence that mistrust has increased since the late 1950s Causes: Watergate, the Vietnam War and Iran-Contra scandal, Clinton impeachment, Iraq war, big bank failures Public confidence is likely to ebb and flow with circumstances Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.