Textbook
Chapter 1
American in the 21st Century
•Government Basics
•Citizens and Government
•What Americans Think about
Government
•American at Odds - Polarization
The Political Society
• No rules or laws are needed in the state of
nature.
• However, as we formed societies, we
demanded the imposition of rules to govern
innate “social conflict”.
• The political systems created to impose rules
have varied throughout history.
Politics
• Politics is the process of resolving social
conflict over the distribution of limited
resources.
• It is the process of deciding who will
make the rules about what and how and
to whom societies resources will be given.
• Politics is ubiquitous.
From Family to Tribe to State
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Nation - sociological term
State - political term
State of Nature
Divine Theory
Social Contract Theory
Force Theory
Natural Theory
Government
• The institutions and procedures
through which a territory and people
are ruled.
• Governments vary in size, structure,
and operational rules bases on many
factors.
• Provides for conflict resolution,
defense, safety, and economic
prosperity.
Forms of Government
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Autocracy (One)
Oligarchy/Aristocracy (Few)
Democracy (Many)
Theocracy
Autocracy
• A government in which a single
individual—a king, queen, or dictator—
rules.
• King Richard I, also known as Richard
the Lion- Hearted, led Britain from 1189–
99.
• Sadam Hussein, Hitler, Stalin, and Castro
were/are all examples of dictators.
Oligarchy or Aristocracy
• A government in which a small group—
landowners, military officers, or wealthy
merchants—controls most of the
governing decisions
• Louis XVI was symbolic of the French
aristocracy.
• The Royal Family in Saudi Arabia is an
example of an aristocratic oligarchy.
Democracy
• A government in which political power is
vested in the people.
• Direct democracy provides for decision
making by all of the people.
• Representative democracy or a Republic
provides for representatives chosen by the
people.
Democratic Philosophy
• The evolution of democratic principles
took centuries.
• The philosophers and great thinkers of
past and present contributed much to our
understanding of democracy.
Democracy in Action
• The concept of self-government was
discussed by the ancient Greeks but fell out
of favor.
• Democratic theory was revived in the United
States in the 1780s.
—Representative democracy was believed to be the
only viable form of democracy for the United
States.
—The presidential campaign is democracy in
action.
Representative Democracy
• Today, most nation-states operate under
the concept of representative democracy.
• Individuals are elected by the citizens to
represent them in the affairs of civil
society.
How Do Governments Govern?
• Constitutional
• Authoritarian
• Totalitarian
Constitutional
• Constitutional governments are limited
as to what they are permitted to control
(substantive) as well as how they go about
it (procedural).
Authoritarian
• Authoritarian governments are kept in
check by other political or social
institutions such as the army, an
organized church, organized business
groups, or labor.
Totalitarian
• Totalitarian governments are free from
legal limits and seek to eliminate those
organized social groups that might
challenge or limit the governments’
authority.
Purpose of Government in the
United States
• We the People of the United States, in order to
form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the general welfare
and secure the Blessings of Liberty….
• From the days of the Constitutional
Convention until today, Americans have been
arguing about the best way to accomplish
these purposes.
Principles of American
Democracy
• Individual Freedom (Liberty)
• Equality - political, economic, social
• Constitutionalism
– Majority rule protecting minority rights
– Voluntary consent of governed.
The Initial Debate:
The Proper Role of
Government
• The Founders were divided over the proper
size and role of government.
—The Federalists wanted a strong central
government to promote commerce, prevent political
strife, and protect international interests.
—The Antifederalists feared that a strong central
government would endanger liberty, thereby favoring
weaker and decentralized government.
The Current Debate
• The conflict continues today between
conservatives (Republicans) and liberals
(Democrats).
—Conservatives (Republicans) seek a strong
government to protect economic interests,
public morality, and international interests,
and generally prefer state government action.
—Liberals (Democrats) seek a strong national
government to protect civil liberties, the
environment, and to provide economic
security.
The American at Odds
The Power of the Federal Government
• Americans are generally concerned about
granting too much power to the government.
Confidence in the Leadership of the Nation’s Major Institutions
1-6
Trust in Government
• Americans have become less trusting of their
government over the last forty years
—By 1994, only one-quarter of Americans expressed
trust in government
Why the Decline in Trust?
• Government has grown too large and
unresponsive.
—Federal power grew in response to the Great
Depression
• Government action against particular groups:
—Tuskegee Experiments (1932),
—Branch Davidians,
—Ruby Ridge.
Polarization of Electorate
• Rich versus poor
• Young versus old
• Men versus women
• White versus black
• Left versus right
• Liberal versus conservative
Redefining Republican
Democracy
• Pluralistic Democracy - peoples interest
represented by various special interest
groups.
• Elitism Theory - American Republic is
not a democracy but rather an oligarchy
made up of large corporations and
special interest groups.
• Education and income allows certain
individuals to be part of the ruling class.
Citizenship & Government:
The Importance of Knowledge
• Citizens must have the knowledge needed to
participate in the political process:
—knowledge of government,
—knowledge of politics,
—knowledge of democratic principles.
• Americans, however, are poorly informed
and uninterested.