Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 1 Chapter One The Study of American Government
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 2 Two Key Questions Who governs? Those who govern will affect us. To what ends? How will government affect our lives?
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 3 What is Political Power? Power: the ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions Authority: the right to use power Legitimacy: what makes a law or constitution a source of right
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 4 Kinds of Democracy Direct democracy: A form of democracy in which most, or all, of the citizenry participate directly. Representative democracy: A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 5 The Framers’ View Government would mediate, nor mirror, popular views People were viewed as lacking knowledge and susceptible to manipulation Framers’ goal: to minimize the abuse of power by a tyrannical majority or by officeholders
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 6 Theories of Government Marxism: Those who own the means of production, controlling the economic system, will control the government Power Elite: A few top leaders, drawn from the major sectors of the United States polity, will make all important decisions
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 7 Theories of Government Bureaucratic: Appointed civil servants control the government, without consulting the public. Pluralist: Competition among affected interests shapes public policy decision- making
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 8 Pluralism and Self-Interest Is pluralist democracy driven by selfish desire? No, 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)
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 9 Answer the following Which of the following statements best describes the consequences of elite class theory? A. it encourages the formation of third political parties. B. Competing special interests can unduly influence the legislative process. C. A centrist philosophy would emerge resulting in gridlock. D. The elite in society would play a dominant role in the political process. E. The elite would clash with the middle class resulting in class warfare.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.1 | 10 FRQ Topic and evidence What is political power? What role does it play in bicameral system? How is political power distributed? Is democracy driven by self-interest? Is representative democracy best? Why or why not?