The Study of American Government

Chapter 1

AP

United States Government and Politics

What is Government? What does the word government mean? Why is a government essential? What services should it provide? What services does it provide?

Division: A Source of “Politics”

Why does politics exist? What two questions

define it?

Who Governs?

Who governs?• What is done to us and for us may depend on

who governs. • Identifying who governs can be difficult.• Competing views cannot all be correct.

To What Ends?

Government affects our lives in many ways.

This can be seen in larger, long perspectives. 1935 (Income Tax) 1960 (race)

Who governs does not necessarily determine to what ends . . . . You cannot always predict what goals

government will establish knowing only who governs

If we thought that how can you explain :• Why the rich are taxed more heavily than the poor• Why the War on Poverty was declared• Why constitutional amendments giving rights to African

Americans & women passed by large majorities• Why other religions have been appointed to many

governmental posts

Why Government Matters

Based on a survey from historians and professors, the government’s top 10 post-1950 achievements:

1. Rebuilt Europe after WWII2. Expanded the right to vote3. Promoted equal access to public accommodations 4. Reduced disease5. Reduced workplace discrimination6. Ensured safe food & drinking water7. Strengthened the nation’s highway system8. Increased access to health care for older Americans 9. Reduced the federal budget deficit10. Promoted financial security in retirement

What is Political Power?

Power

Authority

Legitimacy

What is Political Power?

Power definition• Can be exercised in an obvious or subtle

manner• Examples

• Can be found in all human relationships• Examples

• Recognition that, increasingly, matter once considered “private” are considered “public”

• Examples Then & Now

What is Political Power?

Authority definition Normally easier to exercise power with

a claim of right “Formal authority” when vested in a

government office

What is Political Power?

Legitimacy definition Historical struggles over what constitutes

legitimate authority 2004 election & gay marriage Our sense of legitimacy is tied to the desire

for democratic government• 1787 Constitution• Today

What is Democracy?

Describe the meaning. What is the cartoonist’s message? Agree or disagree with the message? What does cartoon say about democracy?

American Democracy: Basic Ideals & Principles

Popular Consent or Popular Sovereignty Respect for the Individual Equality of Opportunity Personal Liberty Rule of Law

What is Democracy? 1st Definition

Aristotelian “rule of the many”

(direct or participatory democracy)• 4th century B.C. Greek city-state or polis• New England town meeting • Abandoned as size of towns increased

and issues became more complex

What is Democracy? 2nd Definition

Acquisition of power by leaders via competitive elections (representative democracy)

• Joseph Schumpeter • Sometimes disapprovingly referred to as elitist theory• Justifications of representative democracy

• Direct democracy can be impractical • The people are affected by passions and

demagogues • Demagogues- A leader who obtains power by

means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace

• Concern about direct democracy today

Is Representative Democracy Best?

The Constitution does not contain the word democracy but the phrase “republican form of government”

Representative democracy requires genuine competition for leadership

Individuals & parties must be able to run for office Communication must be free Voters must perceive meaningful choices And other important questions - with multiple answers -

remain regarding the number of offices, how many officials (elected & appointed), the financing campaigns, etc.

Is Representative Democracy Best?

Virtues of direct democracy can be reclaimed through

Community control

Citizen participation

Is Representative Democracy Best? Framers did not think the “will of people” was

synonymous with the “common interest” or the “public good”.

They strongly favored representative over direct democracy• Government should mediate, not mirror, popular views• Assumed citizens would have limited time, information,

& interest• Feared demagogues could easily manipulate fears &

prejudices of the masses• Preferred a slow moving government• Framers’ Goal: representative democracy minimized

chance that power would be abused by a popular majority or self-serving officeholders

Is Representative Democracy Best?

But were the Framers right?• Are their assumptions about direct

democracy applicable today?• Has representative democracy really

protected minority rights and prevented politicians from using public offices for private gain?

“So . . . . How Democratic Are We?”

How is Political Power Distributed?

Scholars differ in their interpretations of history

Focus on actual distribution of power within American representative democracy

How is Political Power Distributed?

Variation in representative democracy Majoritarian politics

• Leaders constrained to follow wishes of the people very closely

• Applies when issues are simple, clear, & feasible Non-majoritarian (or Elite) politics

• Sometimes the opinion of the people is not known, or even consulted

• The shaping of policy detail probably reflects opinions of those who are more informed & motivated to participate• The number of those who are informed & motivated

is probably small• They are probably not representative of the

population as a whole• Elites definition

Four Theories of Elite Influence Marxism: Government merely a reflection of

underlying economic forces Marxists hold that in modern societies:

• Two economic classes contend for power –• Capitalists (business owners or the

“bourgeoise”) • Workers (laborers or the “proletariat”). • Which ever class dominates the economy also

controls the government, which is, nothing more than a piece of machinery designed to express & give legal effect to underlying class interest.

• In the U.S. Marxist state capitalists (especially big business & multinational corporations in U.S.) have generally dominated the economy & government.

Four Theories of Elite Influence

C. Wright Mills: Mid-20th century American sociologist

• Power elite composed of corporate leaders, generals, & politicians

• Closely related to Marxism• Coalition of 3 groups dominate politics & government

• Corporate leaders• Top military officers• Handful of elected officials

• Today, some add major communications media chiefs, top labor union officials, heads to special interest groups to his list

Four Theories of Elite Influence Max Weber: Founder of Sociology

• All institutions, governmental and nongovernmental, have fallen under the control of large bureaucracies bureaucracies based on expertise, specialized competence

• Capitalists or workers may come to power or coalitions of elites, but government they create and laws they enact will be dominated by bureaucrats who staff & operate the government on a daily basis

• Bureaucratic view definition • Power not in hands of elected representatives, but in

appointed officials or career government workers, who are invisible to the average citizen, who can exercise vast power by deciding how to translate public laws into administrative actions

• Government bureaucrats do not implement public policies, but effectively “make” policies that best suit their own ideas and interests

Four Theories of Elite Influence Pluralists: Power is widely dispersed & no

single elite has monopoly on it • Policies are the outline of bargaining, compromise and

shifting alliances• Suggests that big business, elites, bureaucrats may

dominate but political resources (money, prestige, expertise, organizational position, access to mass media) are so widely scattered in American society that no single elite has monopoly on them

• Point out that in American governmental institutions in which power may be exercised (city, state, & federal), which includes mayors, managers, legislators, governors, presidents, judges, no single group could dominate the political process.

• All elites must bargain & compromise while being responsive to followers

Is Democracy Driven by Self Interest?Elite Theories & Cynicism

All four theories suggest politics is a self-seeking enterprise

Some important qualifications• Policies may not be wholly self serving• Alexis de Tocqueville

• ”Americans…are fond of explaining almost all the actions of their lives by the principle of self-interest rightly understood…In this respect I think they frequently fail to do themselves justice; for in the United States as well as elsewhere people are sometimes seen to give way to those disinterested and spontaneous impulses that are natural to man; but the Americans seldom admit that they yield to emotions of this kind; they are more anxious to do honor to their philosophy than to themselves.”

Is Democracy Driven by Self Interest?

• Democracy may be driven by other motives & desires• September 11 & self-interest• AFL-CIO & civil rights

• Some act against long odds & without the certainty of benefit

What Explains Political Change? Great shifts in character of government reflect

change in elite or mass beliefs about what government is supposed to do

Growth in federal power & subsequent attempts to cut back

Variations in levels of interest in international affairs

Politics about views of the public interest, not just who gets what

If you were alive in 1861…

Nature of Politics The answer to “Who Governs?” is often partial,

contingent, or controversial Preferences vary, and so does politics Politics cannot be equated with laws on the

books Sweeping claims are to be avoided Judgments about institutions & interests should

be tempered by how they behave on different issues

The policy process can be an excellent barometer of change in who governs

“Democracy” in QuotesFree Response Question

Read, interpret, and give your opinion of the ten “Democracy” in Quotes

Choose one for which you have strong feelings and write a free response: A. Identify and explain your interpretation of

the quote. B. Provide three examples of how American

society portrays or disproves this ideal today.