American Ideology and Culture Part 1 Textbook Alignment: Wilson Most of Chapters 4 and 7

Intro to Political Ideologies What do these word below truly mean? Let’s find out… Radical Liberal Moderate Conservative Libertarian Reactionary

The Political Spectrum As you move away from the center of the political spectrum, your want of change becomes greater Traditional Liberals and Conservatives want minimal change Reactionaries and Radicals want maximum change RAD L C REACT

Two Directions on the Spectrum As you move to the right on the political spectrum, you become more retrogressive in the type of change desired (have more traditional views and desires) As you move to the left on the political spectrum, you become more progressive in the type of change desired (have more of a modern view and desires) This also goes with the ideas of one being “left wing / right wing” Progressive Retrogressive

Important Points to Remember Those further away from the center of the spectrum will use revolutionary methods to institute their changes As you move away from the center, the method of change can become more violent Conservatives see the individual as the major instrument of change Liberals see government as the major instrument of change

The Political Spectrum The different political ideologies will be evaluated on the following important factors… HUMAN NATURE LAW & ORDER WORLD VIEW ECONOMICS GENERAL VIEWPOINTS

The Conservative HUMAN NATURE Conservatives tend to be pessimistic about human nature LAW & ORDER Conservatives stress law & order over personal civil rights and liberties; believe morality needs to be regulated to ensure safety; pro death penalty; mandatory sentences for certain crimes; prison=punitive WORLD VIEW Conservatives tend to be isolationists; worry about home front before anyone else; anti U.N.; strong military and defense (“peace thru strength”) ECONOMICS Conservatives support economic freedoms, laissez faire policies, pro business, and supply side economics; minimal taxes; LESS GOVERNMENT GENERAL VIEWPOINTS Conservatives stress traditional family values, supports private schools, supports INDIVIDUAL rights over group rights

The Liberal HUMAN NATURE Liberals tend to be optimistic about human nature and its potential LAW & ORDER Liberals promote GROUP civil rights and GROUP liberties over order in society; affirmative action; against government regulating morality; anti death penalty; PRISON=REHABILITATE WORLD VIEW Liberals tend to be internationalists, working to aid human suffering globally; pro U.N.; NEGOIATE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS ECONOMICS Liberals support government intervention in economic affairs to ensure equality, pro laborer; taxation used to support programs and redistribute wealth; MORE GOVERNMENT GENERAL VIEWPOINTS Liberals support environmental programs; separation of church/state; supports government intervention

Why does this matter today? Left/Liberal = Democratic Party Right/Conservative = Republican Party

The Moderate The Moderate takes no definitive position on any issue Moderates pick and choose their viewpoints Tend to be independent in their political perspectives Located in the CENTER of the political spectrum

The Radical Desires immediate, progressive (new) change (violent if necessary) Desires ultimate sense of equality (everyone is the same) Government can be the instrument that ensures that equality among all A good example is a pure communist

Libertarian Believes in ultimate individualism Believes in minimal government intervention- Minimal taxes, minimal govt regulation Government control of the economy should be minimal. As long as actions do not harm others, they should be legal.  Freedom and rights cannot be compromised

The Reactionary Desires immediate, retrogressive change (violent if necessary) Extremely racist, xenophobic, and isolationist An example would be the KKK or Nazis

Where would you be?

Politics and Economics COMMUNISM SOCIALISM MIXED CAPITALISM Pure Capitalism

Question #1 GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE A MAJOR ROLE IN CIVIL SOCIETY. Which ideology would strongly agree with the above statement? Conservatives Liberals Libertarians Moderates

Question #2 Fill in the rest of the statement…… On the political spectrum, as you move away from the center, __________________ The amount of change you seek becomes greater The amount of change you seek becomes less The amount of change you seek is the same throughout the spectrum

Question #3 Fill in the rest of the statement…… On the political spectrum, as you move away from the center, __________________ The method of change can become more violent The method of change will become less violent The method of change is equally violent throughout the spectrum No violence is ever used to seek change

Question #4 Which of the following descriptions best describes a CONSERVATIVE. Internationalist, environment friendly, more taxes, more government Isolationist, crime and law follower, pro business, government enforced morality Ultimate equality (government enforced) Racist policies followed

Think: What does it mean to be American?

What is political culture? It is defined as a universally accepted way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out

Core Values and Attitudes Citizens attitudes toward government and toward one another are influenced by the way citizens interpret core American values. American citizens, coming form a range of backgrounds and experiences, have widely different views of how government ought to govern….

Core Value 1 Individualism: a belief in the fundamental worth and importance of the individual Rooted in the Enlightenment philosophy that helped shape American government such as the use of “inalienable rights” John Locke famous English philosopher

Core Value 2 Equality of Opportunity “All Men are Created Equal” 14th amendment equal protection clause

Core Value 3 Free Enterprise: also referred to as the free market economy, favoring little to no government regulation or interference. Producers and consumers would “naturally” regulate/correct the market.

Core Value 4 Rule of Law: principle that establishes laws that apply equally to all members of society and prevents the rules and whim of leaders who see themselves as above the law Cornerstone of Enlightenment philosophy A republic should be governed by laws and not of men

Core Value 5 Limited Government: government kept under the control of checks and balances and separation of powers Especially enshrined in the Bill of Rights

Moving on… In order to understand the political beliefs and behaviors of the American people, we need to first understand the importance of political socialization on individuals and communities.