AP US Government & Politics
Chapter 1: The Study of American
Government
Presentation Outline
1) What is Politics?
2) Political Power, Authority, and Legitimacy
3) Democracy + Historical Evolution
4) Majoritarian Politics
5) Elites
6) 4 Theories of Elite Influence
1) What is Politics?
Who gets what, why, and how?
Politics itself is a mixture of the high and the low. Politics is the
realm in which we attempt to realize some of our highest
aspirations: our desire for political freedom, our longing for
justice, our hope for peace and security.
At the same time, politics is laced with individuals and groups
seeking their selfish interests at the expense of others.
2) Political Power, Authority, and
Legitimacy
 Power: the ability of one person to cause another person to
act in accordance with the first person’s intentions
In a dictatorship, this power rests with the leader, his cronies,
the police, and other instruments of state power
In a democracy, this power is supposed to rest with the people
 Authority: this is the right to have power over others
Question: who has political authority in Canada?
 Legitimacy: this is the source of the authority
This could be in the form of a constitution, religious text,
elections, or tradition
Question: what are the sources of legitimacy in Canada’s
political system?
3) Democracy + Historical Evolution
 Direct democracy: A form of democracy
in which most, or all, of the citizenry
participate directly.
 This originated in the city-states of classical
Greece
 The legacy of direct democracy is
part of American political culture
 Americans regularly vote directly
on propositions and initiatives
 Citizens in Washington and
Colorado state recently voted to
legalize marijuana.
 Representative democracy: A government in which
leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for
the popular vote.
 This is how most democracies work today
 The United States inherited democratic ideas from classical
Greece, Enlightenment European thinkers, and British
institutions and traditions
 Of course, Americans would synthesize these concepts and
eventually develop their own unique form of democracy
Timeline of Democracy
 5th century B.C.E. Athenian direct democracy
 1215 Magna Carta (England) limits the power of the king
 1642-1651 English Civil War: king restored but Parliamentary
sovereignty respected
 17th and 18th Centuries European Enlightenment: Thinkers
such as Locke, Voltaire, Montesquieu put forth concepts such as
liberty, freedoms, rights, and checks and balances
 1776 American Declaration of Independence
 1789 U.S. Constitution ratified
 As you will discover and
learn American political
culture differs from
British and Canadian
political culture
 What’s Canada’s
political motto?
Peace, Order, and
Good Government
4) Majoritarian Politics
 Majoritarian Politics: leaders constrained by what people
want that their actions will follow what the people want.
 Characteristics



Issues must be important to the people
Clear to get an informed opinion
Feasible to enact.
A good example of this is Obama’s decision to withdraw
US troops from Iraq
Can you think of other examples?
 Circumstances may prevent clear knowledge of public opinion
 In such cases leaders may not act in a majoritarian way
 Interests groups, lobbyists, and the media can all influence leaders
and distort public opinion
Example: when polled a majority of Americans have indicated
that they favor national health care but this is not reflected in
the media or in the US Congress
The Framers of the US Constitution
 Government would mediate, not 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 by creating checks
and balances
“A
democracy is nothing more
than mob rule, where fifty-one
percent of the people may take
away the rights of the other
forty-nine.”
“All, too, will bear in mind this sacred
principle, that though the will of the
majority is in all cases to prevail, that
will, to be rightful, must be reasonable;
that the minority possess their equal
rights, which equal laws must protect,
and to violate would be oppression.”
What comment is Jefferson making about democracy and
majoritarian rule?
Thomas Jefferson
5) Elites
 Elites: those with “power”
Can be elected such as
Congressman
Can be corporate and business
leaders
Can be influential personalities in
the media
US Senator
Mitch
McConnell
Lloyd Blankfein
CEO of Goldman-Sachs
6) Four Theories of Elite Influence
1. Marxist: Karl Marx; government is a
reflection of underlying economic forces,
primarily pattern of ownership of
production.
 Societies divided into classes.
 Modern Society 2 fight for power
Capitalists vs. Workers
 Whichever class dominates the other… it
controls the government.
 Economic elite
 Leads to dictatorship of the proletariat

Four Theories of Elite Influence
2. Power Elite Theory: Wright Mills argues that
nongovernmental elite makes most of the major
decisions but that this elite is not composed exclusively of
corporate leaders.
According to this theory, these elites will be in charge
regardless of what rules are set up
 Corporate leaders
 Top military officers
 Key political leaders.
*Some add communication media, labor leaders, and special interest
groups.
 Historically in the United States this “power elite” has been
entrenched in the Constitution with the inclusion of a
Senate, and the Electoral College
Electoral college- who are the electors?
4 Theories of Elite Influence
3. Bureaucrats: appointed officials who operate
governmental agencies from day to day have the real power
and the government is “really” controlled by large expert
specialized bureaucracies that had become a necessity.
 Rational decision making
4 Theories of Elite Influence
4. Pluralist View: Political resources ($, expertise, access to
media) are everywhere, no single elite has control.
 Too many government organizations to dominate
 Also, too many different elites have some control over process.
 Hyperpluralism: too many groups.
 Confusing/conflicting policies.
 Can often lead to political gridlock and polarization
Can be viewed both positively and negatively
versus
versus