The Study of American Government Part 2

Democracy Key Concept #2 – Democracy has shades of meaning that must be understood in order to examine American government.

Democratic Centralism The "true interests" of the people are served, whether or not those people affect the decision making –Former Soviet Union –China –Cuba –Vietnam –North Korea

Direct (Participatory)Democracy Aristotle's "rule of the many" –Fourth-century B.C. Greek city-state, practiced by free citizens –New England town meeting

Representative Democracy –Acquisition of power by leaders through competitive elections –Also called indirect democracy or a republic –Justifications Direct democracy is impractical for reasons of time, expertise, etc. The people make unwise decisions based on fleeting emotions or follow demagogues

Reclaiming Participatory Democracy Community control Citizen participation in program development Policy choices appear on the ballot –Referendum –Initiative –Recall

Political Power Key Concept # 3 – Distribution of political power in America is viewed in various ways.

Majoritarian Politics The populist view but often simplistic. Leaders constrained to follow wishes of the people very closely Only possible when issues are simple and clear May trample minority rights

Elitism Rule by identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate share of political power.

Marxism Government merely a reflection of underlying economic forces Class conflict (capitalists & workers Karl Marx

Bureaucratic theory Max Weber Expertise and specialized competence will lead to domination by appointed officials and career civil servants Knowledge is power

Power Elite C. Wright Mills’ theory Most important decisions set by a coalition of three groups: corporate leaders, military leaders, and a handful of key political leaders. Recall Eisenhower’s “Military- Industrial Complex”

Pluralist View –No single elite has monopoly on power; hence competing groups must bargain and compromise while being responsive to their followers –Robert Dahl

Hyperpluralism Extremely pluralistic government Authority is so fragmented and pressures from competing interest groups are so diverse that gridlock results.

AP Tip Understanding the theories of how political elites behave is a basic tenet of political science and is applicable to many aspects of U.S. government. Theses theories could appear on AP exam questions relating to democracy, political parties, interest groups, the bureaucracy, and others.