American Government and Politics Today Chapter 1 The Democratic Republic

Politics and Government Key terms: Politics: “who gets what when and how” Institution: an ongoing organization that performs certain functions for society Government: institution in which decisions are made that resolve conflicts or allocate benefits and privileges

Why Is Government Necessary? Order Maintaining peace and security by protecting members of society from violence and criminal activity is the oldest purpose of government.

Why is Government Necessary? Liberty The greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society; can be promoted by or invoked against government.

Why is Government Necessary? Authority and Legitimacy authority: the right and power of a government or other entity to enforce its decisions and compel obedience. legitimacy is popular acceptance of the right and power of a government or other entity to exercise authority.

Forms of Government Totalitarian Regime—government controls all aspects of the political and social life of a nation. Authoritarianism—A type of regime in which only the government itself is fully controlled by the ruler. Social and economic institutions exist that are not under the government’s control. Aristocracy—Rule by the “best”; in reality, rule by an upper class. Democracy—A system of government in which political authority is vested in the people. Derived from the Greek words demos (“the people”) and kratos (“authority”).

Direct Democracy Political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives Attained most easily in small political communities.

Direct Democracy Today Initiative–a procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment Referendum–an electoral device whereby legislative or constitutional measures are referred by the legislature to the voters for approval or disapproval; Recall–a procedure allowing the people to vote to dismiss an elected official from state office before his or her term has expired.

Is Direct Democracy Dangerous? While the founders believed in government based on t he consent of the people, they were highly distrustful of anything that might look like “mob rule.” Therefore, they devised institutions to filter the popular will through elected elites.

A Democratic Republic Democratic republic and representative democracy really mean the same thing—government based on elected representatives—except for the historical quirk that a republic cannot have a vestigial king.

A Democratic Republic (cont) Principles of Democratic Government universal suffrage, or the right of all adults to vote for their representatives majority rule, the greatest number of citizens in any political unit should select the officials and determine policies. Constitutional Democracy. limited government, states the powers of government should be limited, usually by institutional checks. Without such limits, democracy could destroy itself.

What Kind of Democracy Do We Have? Majoritarianism Elite theory Pluralism

Fundamental Values Political Socialization. Liberty versus Order. Equality versus Liberty. Economic Equality Property Rights and Capitalism. capitalism, an economic system characterized by the private ownership of wealth-creating assets and also by free markets and freedom of contract.

Citizenship and Voting Rights Franchise – The right and privilege of citizens to elect representatives and decide policy issues in conformity with state and federal law. Does the national government determine voter eligibility, or do the states retain that right and responsibility?

Ideologies: Liberalism vs. Conservatism Conservatives tend to favor limited governmental involvement in the economic sector. Economic freedom is seen as a necessity for the good of the society. On social issues, conservatives advocate governmental involvement to preserve traditional values and lifestyles. Liberals tend to favor governmental regulation of the economy to benefit individuals within the society. On social issues, liberals advocate a limited governmental role. Social freedom is seen as a necessity for the good of the society.

Ideologies: The Traditional Political Spectrum socialism, a political ideology based on strong support for economic and social equality. Socialists traditionally envisioned a society in which major businesses were taken over by the government or by employee cooperatives. libertarianism, a political ideology based on skepticism or opposition toward almost all government activities.

Classical Liberalism Liberal once meant limited government and no religion in politics. The term evolved into its modern American meaning along with the political evolution of the Democratic Party, which was once the party of limited government but has become the party of (relative) economic equality.

Table 1.1 The Traditional Political Spectrum

Figure 1-1 A Four-Cornered Ideological Grid

The Ideological Grid We can break down the electorate into cultural and economic liberals, cultural and economic conservatives, cultural liberals/economic conservatives (libertarians), and cultural conservatives/economic liberals. Classifying the Voters. All four viewpoints have substantial support based on polling data. Conservative Popularity. However, the term conservative, as a self-applied label, is more popular than any other label except “moderate.”

Totalitarian Ideologies The “ideologies of our enemies,” that is, our opponents in 20th and 21st century wars, cold or hot. Communism, revolutionary variant of socialism that favors a partisan (and often totalitarian) dictatorship, government control of all enterprises, and the replacement of free markets by central planning; and Fascism, a twentieth-century ideology—often totalitarian—that exalts the national collective united behind an absolute ruler, and rejects liberal individualism, values action over rational deliberation, and glorifies war.

Totalitarianism in the Islamic World While communism and fascism are the historical ideologies that totalitarianism was coined to describe, our current international problem is with radical Islamism as exemplified by Al Qaeda.

The Changing Face of America Aging Population Growth Ethnic Change Changes in Hispanic Community Women in the Workforce

Figure 1.2 The Aging of America