The Study of American Government Chapter One The Study of American Government

Two Key Questions Who governs? Those who govern will affect us. How is political power actually distributed in America? What explains major political change? To what ends? How will government affect our lives? What value or values matter most in American democracy? Are trade-offs among political purposes inevitable?

What is Political Power? Power: the ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions For example: Power is obvious when the president gives the military a direct command Power is not so obvious when the president’s speechwriters may interject their personal opinions/views into a speech. Authority: the right to use power “Formal Authority” is the gov’ts right to use power. Legitimacy: political authority conferred by a law or by a state or national constitution Most Americans today agree that the U.S. Constitution has legitimate authority as long as it protects democratic ideals.

What is Democracy? The term democracy comes from the Greek words demos and kratia. Demos meaning “the people” and Kratia meaning “rule.” The ancient Greeks used the word democracy to mean gov’t by many instead of only a few. Our nation’s founders used the word to mean a republic or representative democracy.

Kinds of Democracy Direct democracy: A form of democracy in which most, or all, of the citizenry participate directly. Direct democracy exists only in very small societies where citizens can actually meet regularly to discuss and decide on key issues and problems. For example: Found in some New England town meetings and in Switzerland. Representative democracy: A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote. People elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct gov’t. Today, the terms representative democracy, republic, and constitutional republic mean the same thing: system of limited gov’t where the people are the ultimate source of authority. Not every democracy is a republic, however.

The Framers’ View Government would mediate, not mirror, popular views They did not believe that the “will of the people” was the same thing as “common interest” or “public good.” People were viewed as lacking knowledge and susceptible to manipulation Framers’ goal: to minimize the abuse of power by a tyrannical majority or by self-serving officeholders

Theories of Government Marxism: Those who own the means of production or control the economic system will control the government Karl Marx believed there were ultimately 2 groups that competed for power: The Bourgeoisie (business owners or capitalists) and the Proletariat (laborers/workers) Elitism: A few top leaders, drawn from the major sectors of the United States, will make all important decisions C. Wright Mills believed that a coalition of 3 groups, corporate leaders, top military officials, and some elected officials dominate politics and gov’t.

Theories of Government Bureaucratic: Appointed civil servants control the government, without consulting the public. Max Weber believed that all gov’t and non gov’t institutions were under the control of large bureaucracies. Pluralist: Competition among affected interests shapes public policy decision-making Political resources may include, but are not limited to, money, prestige, expertise, position, and access to media. These things greatly affect how power is exercised.

Pluralism and Self-Interest Is pluralist democracy driven by selfish desire? Not necessarily, because: policies can be good or bad, regardless of the motives of their proponents; the belief that people always act in their own self-interest has been refuted in practice (i.e., heroic actions of September 11th) public-spirited behavior was behind many of our greatest social movements (like the Civil Rights movement)