Ch. 15- Politics
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Power relations wherever they exist
Power- the ability to get your way
even over the resistance of others
Authority- legitimate power
Coercion- illegitimate power
The gov’t holds a monopoly on
legitimate force or violence
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Revolution- armed resistance w/ the
intent to overthrow a gov’t
Traditional authority
Rational-legal authority
Charismatic authority
Authority types can overlap
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Transfer of authority
Traditional- know who is next in line
Rational-legal- people know how
next will be selected
Charismatic- no rules of succession
Routinization of charisma- transition
of authority from a charismatic
leader to either a traditional of
rational-legal authority
Types of government
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Monarchies
Small societies in beginning… grew
larger, cities evolved
City-states- independent city whose
power radiates outward, bringing the
adjacent area under its rule
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Democracies
Each U.S. colony was small and
independent
Colonies united
Democracy= power to the people
Representative democracy
Citizenship was a new idea
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Dictatorships and oligarchies
Dictatorship- power is seized by an
individual and he dictates his will
onto the people
Oligarchy- power is held by a small
group of individuals
Totalitarianism- almost total control
of a people by the gov’t
U.S. political system
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Political parties and elections
Democrats- assoc. w/ working class
Republicans- assoc. w/ wealthier
class
Those elected may cross party lines
when voting for legislation
Both support fundamentals of U.S.
political philosophy
Democratic systems in Europe
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U.S. elections= majority wins
Europe= proportional representation
(seats in legislature divided
according to the proportion of votes
each political party receives)
Encourages minority parties
Noncentrist parties- represent
marginal ideas
Coalition gov’t must form
Voting patterns
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Voting increases w/ age
Non Hispanic whites most likely vote
Voting increases w/ educ. and
income
The more people feel they have a
stake in the political system, the
more likely they are to vote
Voter apathy- indifference
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Special interest groups- people who
think alike on an issue and can be
mobilized for political action
Lobbyists- paid to influence
legislation on behalf of their clients
Political action committees (PACs)solicit and spend funds for the
purpose of influencing legislation
Money buys votes
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Functionalist perspective
When functioning well the state is a
balanced system that protects its
citizens from one another and from
the gov’t
Pluralism- diffusion of power among
many interest groups
Checks and balances- separation of
powers among 3 branches
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Conflict perspective
Decisions made by power elite, ruling
class
What matters is problems of
businesses and wealthy business
owners
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War
Armed conflict between nations or
politically distinct groups
War is not universal
War is common
Why war? Social causes?
War is expensive
U.S. top seller of weapons
Dehumanization and war= people as
objects