Chapter 14
Politics and Government in Global
Perspective
Chapter Outline
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Politics Power and Authority
Political Systems in Global Perspective
Perspectives on Power and Political
Systems
The U.S. Political System
Chapter Outline
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Government Bureaucracy
The Military and Militarism
Terrorism and War
Politics and Government in the Future
Politics, Power and Authority
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Politics is the social institution through which
power is acquired and exercised by some
people and groups.
Government is the formal organization that has
the legal and political authority to regulate
relationships among members of a society and
between the society and those outside its
borders.
The state is the political entity that possesses a
legitimate monopoly over the use of force within
its territory to achieve its goals.
Political Sociology
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Political sociology examines the nature and
consequences of power within or between
societies, as well as the social and political
conflicts that lead to changes in the allocation of
power.
Political sociology primarily focuses on the
social circumstances of politics and explores
how the political arena and its actors are
intertwined with social institutions such as the
economy, religion, education, and the media.
How Much Do You Know
About the Media?

True or False?
 Almost all movies in the United States
are distributed by six large studios.
How Much Do You Know
About the Media?

True.
 Six major studios—Columbia,
Paramount, 20th Century-Fox,
MCA/Universal, Time Warner, and
Disney—distribute not only the films
they produce but also most of the films
made by independent producers.
How Much Do You Know
About the Media?

True or False?
 Both major U.S. political parties have been
accused of purchasing television
commercials with money from questionable
campaign contributions.
How Much Do You Know
About the Media?

True.
 “Soft money” contributions, which are
made outside the limits imposed by
federal election laws, have allegedly
been used by both parties for campaign
style ads, but leaders of the national
political parties claimed that their own
ads were about social issues, not
candidates.
Power and Authority
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Power is the ability of persons or groups
to achieve their goals despite opposition
from others.
Authority is power that people accept as
legitimate rather than coercive.
Ideal Types of Authority
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Traditional
 Kings, Queens, Emperors, religious
dignitaries
Charismatic
 politicians, soldiers, entertainers
Rational–legal
 elected officials
Question
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Traditional authority is based on:
a. a leader's exceptional personal
qualities.
b. written rules and regulations of law.
c. documents such as the U.S.
Constitution.
d. long-standing custom.
Answer: d
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Traditional authority is based on a longstanding custom.
Question
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Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Martin Luther
King, Jr., Caesar Chavez, and Mother
Teresa are examples of:
a. charismatic authority.
b. traditional authority.
c. rational-legal authority.
d. nontraditional authority.
Answer: a
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Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Martin Luther
King, Jr., Caesar Chavez, and Mother
Teresa are examples of charismatic
authority.
Political Systems in Global
Perspective
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Political institutions emerged when
agrarian societies acquired surpluses and
developed social inequality.
When cities developed, the city-state
became the center of political power.
Nation-states emerged as countries
acquired the ability to defend their
borders.
Nation-states
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Approximately 190 nation-states currently
exist throughout the world.
Today, everyone is born, lives, and dies
under the auspices of a nation-state
Four types of political systems are found
in nation-states: monarchy,
authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and
democracy.
Weber’s Three Types of
Authority
Type
Example
Traditional
Patrimony Patriarchy
Charismatic
Napoleon
César Chávez
Mother Teresa
Rational-Legal
Modern British
Parliament
U.S. presidency
Types of Political Systems
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A monarchy is a political system in which
power resides in one person or family and
is passed from generation to generation
through lines of inheritance.
Authoritarianism - A political system
controlled by rulers who deny popular
participation in government.
Types of Political Systems
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Totalitarianism - A political system in which the
state seeks to regulate all aspects of people's
public and private lives.
Democracy - A political system in which the
people hold the ruling power either directly or
through elected representatives.
Functionalist Perspectives:
Pluralist Model
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The functions of government:
 maintain law and order
 plan and direct society
 meet social needs
 handle international relations
Conflict Perspectives: Elite
Models
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Power in political systems is in the hands of a
small group of elites and the masses are
relatively powerless.
Decisions are made by the elites, who agree on
the basic values and goals of society.
The needs and concerns of the masses are not
often given full consideration by the elite.
Purpose of a Political Party
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Develop and articulate policy positions.
Educate voters about issues and simplify
the choices for them.
Recruit candidates, help them win office,
hold them responsible for implementing
the party’s positions.
Political Socialization
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Political socialization is the process by
which people learn political attitudes,
values, and behavior.
Voter Apathy
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10% of the voting-age population
participates at a level higher than voting.
Over the past 40 years, less than half the
voting-age population has voted in
nonpresidential elections.
In many other Western nations, the
average turnout is 80 to 90% of all eligible
voters.
Question
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Have you registered to vote?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not eligible
Question
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Did you vote in the last election?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Not eligible
Why Eligible Voters Don’t
Vote
Conservative argument:
 People are satisfied with the status quo,
are uninformed and lack an
understanding of government processes.
Liberal argument:
 People feel alienated from politics due to
corruption and influence peddling by
special interests and large corporations.
Question
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_____ is the process by which people
learn political attitudes, values, and
behavior.
a. Indoctrination
b. Military training
c. Resocialization
d. Political socialization
Answer: d
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Political socialization is the process by
which people learn political attitudes,
values, and behavior.
Question
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Generally speaking, do you usually think
of yourself as a Republican, Democrat,
Independent, or what?
GSS National Data
Income
Low
Middle
High
Democrat
52.9%
48.2%
42.6%
Independent
18.6
17.1
13.8
Republican
28.5
34.7
43.6
Voter Preferences in the
2004 Presidential Election
Gender
Republican
Democrat
Men
55%
44%
Women
48
52
Voter Preferences in the
2004 Presidential Election
Race
/Ethnicity
Whites
Republican
Democrat
58
41
African Americans
11
88
Latinos/as
43
56
Asian Americans
41
58
Voter Preferences in the
2004 Presidential Election
Age
Republican
Democrat
18–29
45
54
30–44
53
46
45–59
51
48
60 and older
54
46
Voter Preferences in the
2004 Presidential Election
Education
Republican
Democrat
Did not graduate
from high school
49
50
High school graduate
52
47
Some college
54
46
College graduate
52
46
Voter Preferences in the
2004 Presidential Election
Region
Republican
Democrat
Eastern U.S.
44
56
Midwest
51
49
Southern U.S.
57
43
Western U.S.
49
51
Voter Preferences in the 2004
Presidential Election
Income
Republican
Democrat
Under $15,000
36
63
$15,000–$29,999
42
57
$30,000–$49,999
48
50
Over $50,000
56
43
Question
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How would you characterize your
political views?
a. Far left
b. Liberal
c. Middle-of-the-road
d. Conservative
e. Far right
Percentage of All Federal Civilian
Jobs Held by White Men, 2000
Example of the Iron Triangle of
Power
The Military And Militarism
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Militarism is a societal focus on military
ideals and an aggressive preparedness
for war.
Explanations for Militarism
1. The economy.
2. The role of the nation and its inclination
toward coercion in response to
perceived threats.
3. Patriarchy and the relationship between
militarism and masculinity.
Question
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The three-way arrangement in which a private
interest group, a congressional committee,
and a bureaucratic agency make the final
decision on a political issue that is to be
decided by that agency is known as:
a. political subversion.
b. the iron law of oligarchy.
c. the iron triangle of power.
d. the power elite.
Answer: c
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The three-way arrangement in which a
private interest group, a congressional
committee, and a bureaucratic agency
make the final decision on a political issue
that is to be decided by that agency is
known as the iron triangle of power.
Terrorism
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Calculated, unlawful physical force or threats of
violence against a government, organization, or
individual to gain some political, religious,
economic, or social objective.
Political terrorism uses intimidation, coercion,
threats of harm, and other violence that
attempts to bring about a significant change in
or overthrow an existing government.
Types of Political Terrorism
1. Revolutionary terrorism -violence against
civilians carried out by enemies of the
government who want to bring about change.
2. State-sponsored terrorism - when a
government provides money, weapons, and
training for terrorists who conduct their
activities in other nations.
3. Repressive terrorism - conducted by a
government against its citizens to protect
existing political order.
War
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Organized, armed conflict between nations or
distinct political factions.
 Declared wars : between nations or parties.
 Undeclared wars: civil and guerrilla wars,
covert operations, and terrorism.
War involves behavior intended to bring pain,
injury, and/or psychological stress to people or
to harm or destroy property.
War is a form of collective violence.
War
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589 wars have been fought by 142 countries
since 1500 and that approximately 142 million
lives have been lost.
World War I took the lives of approximately 8
million combatants and 1 million civilians.
In World War II, more than 50 million people lost
their lives.
Quick Quiz
1. The formal organization that has the legal
and political authority to regulate the
relationships among members of a
society and between the society and
those outside its borders is:
a. government
b. politics
c. state
d. political economy
Answer: a
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The formal organization that has the legal
and political authority to regulate the
relationships among members of a
society and between the society and
those outside its borders is government.
2. A type of political system in which the
people hold the ruling power either
directly or through elected officials is:
a. authoritarianism
b. democracy
c. monarchy
d. totalitarianism
Answer: b
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A type of political system in which the
people hold the ruling power either
directly or through elected officials is a
democracy.
3. The social institution through which
power is acquired and exercised by
some people and groups is:
a. government
b. politics
c. the state
d. the political economy
Answer: b
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The social institution through which
power is acquired and exercised by
some people and groups is politics.
4. The political entity that possesses a
legitimate monopoly over the use of
force within its territory to achieve its
goals is:
a. government
b. politics
c. the state
d. the political economy
Answer: c
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The political entity that possesses a
legitimate monopoly over the use of
force within its territory to achieve its
goals is the state.
5. Rational-Legal Authority has officeholders that are:
a. recognized for their heritage.
b. recognized for their personality.
c. recognized for their abilities.
d. recognized because they were
elected or appointed.
Answer: d
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Rational-Legal Authority has officeholders that are recognized because
they were elected or appointed.
6. All of the following are characteristics of the
elite model except that
a. decisions are made on behalf of the
people by leaders who engage in
bargaining, accommodation and
compromise.
b. consensus exists among the elite on the
basic values and goals of society.
c. Power is highly concentrated at the top
of a pyramid-shaped social hierarchy.
d. public policy reflects the values and
preferences of the elite.
Answer: a
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Rational-Legal Authority has officeholders that are recognized for their
heritage.