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AP GOPOUnit 3 & 4 Review

POLITICAL CULTURE POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL CULTURE, POLITICAL PARTIES, VOTING & ELECTIONS, INTEREST GROUPS

& THE MASS MEDIA

Key Concepts—Political Culture

• Political socialization—family, schools, group affiliations, demographic factors, media, events

• Measuring public opinion• Distribution, intensity, and stability• Polling—random sampling, sampling error

• Political ideology and ideological spectrumgy g p• Liberal, moderate, conservative• Radical and reactionary

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Key Concepts—Political Parties

• Main goal: to win elections to control goverment

• Party Systems• One-Party System• Two-Party System (single-member districts)• Multi-Party System (proportional representation)

• Party responsibilities—recruit, nominate, support y p , , ppcandidates, educate electorate, organize government

• Party identification and membership

• Third or minor parties

• Future of political parties?

Key Concepts—Party Eras

Wh t ti ? Hi t i l t l t l t • Why two-parties? Historical roots, electoral system, election laws

• Party Development (1789-1800)• Democratic Domination (1800-1860)• Republic Domination (1860-1932)• Return of Democrats (1932-1968)

• FDR’s New Deal Coalition

• Divided Government (1968—present) • Reagan’s “Conservative Revolution” coalition

• Electoral Realignment—created by a critical election• Electoral Dealignment—increase “split ticket” voting

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Key Concepts—Voting

• Forms of political participation

• Expansion of suffrage and the electorate

• Issue or policy voting

• Trends of low voter turnout• Political efficacy and 1995 Motor Voter Law

• Who votes? Primary vs general election?• Who votes? Primary vs. general election?

Key Concepts—Elections

• Types of elections (primary, general, special)• Closed, open, blanket and runoff primary

• Congressional elections• Off-year (mid-term) elections, coattail effect

• Presidential elections• Presidential primaries and caucuses, nominating conventions, Presidential primaries and caucuses, nominating conventions,

electoral college

• Campaign finance and reform

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Key Concepts—Interest Groups

• Functions of interest groups

• Types of interest groups• Economic, groups that promote causes, public interest groups

• Strategies of interest groups• Influencing elections• Lobbying (direct, grassroots, coalition)Lobbying (direct, grassroots, coalition)

Key Concepts—Mass Media

• Roles of the media

• What is news? Reporting the news?

• Horse-race journalism

• Media and the President

• Media and Congress

• Bias in media