Chapter 1
FREEDOM,
ORDER, OR
EQUALITY?
Learning Outcomes
1.1 Define globalization and explain how
globalization affects American politics and
government.
1.2 Identify the purposes that government
serves and trace their historical roots.
1.3 Describe how political scientists use
concepts to structure events and promote
understanding.
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Learning Outcomes
1.4 Define freedom, order, and equality and
discuss the various interpretations of each
value.
1.5 Analyze the inherent conflicts between
freedom versus order and freedom versus
equality.
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Learning Outcomes
1.6 Distinguish among these terms:
totalitarianism, socialism, capitalism,
libertarianism, and anarchism.
1.7 Explain how liberals, conservatives,
libertarians, and communitarians view the
role of government.
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The Globalization of
American Government

Government
 Legitimate use of force within specified
geographical boundaries to control human
behavior

National Sovereignty
 Each national government has the right to
govern its people without interference from
other nations
 Threatened by globalization
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The Purposes of Government
 Maintaining Order
 Hobbes’ sovereign ruler
 Preserving life
 Liberalism
 Locke – life, liberty, and property
 Communism
 Marx – government ownership of land and
productive facilities
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Leviathan, Hobbe’s All-Powerful Sovereign
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The Purposes of Government

Providing Public Goods
 Benefits and services available to everyone
 Controversial: What goods or services are
appropriate?

Promoting Equality
 Programs to reduce social inequality
 Controversial: redistributing income to promote
economic equality, differing social values
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Rosa Parks: She Sat for Equality
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A Conceptual Framework for
Analyzing Government

Values Pursued by Government
 Freedom
 Order
 Equality

Models of Democratic Government
 Majoritarian Democracy
 Pluralist Democracy
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The Concepts of Freedom,
Order, and Equality

Freedom
 Freedom of : absence of constraints on
behavior
 Freedom from: Fight against exploitation and
oppression; equality
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The Concepts of Freedom,
Order, and Equality

Order
 Preserving life and protecting property
 Preserving social order
 Police power –authority to safeguard residents’
safety, health, welfare, and morals
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The Concepts of Freedom,
Order, and Equality

Equality
 Political equality: one person, one vote
 Social equality: wealth, education, and status
 Equality of opportunity: each person has the
same chance to succeed
 Equality of outcome: society must ensure
people are equal socially and economically
 Government-supported rights
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Equality in the Military
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Two Dilemmas of Government

Maintaining Order and Promoting Equality
 Require sacrifices in individual freedom

Original Dilemma: Freedom Versus Order
 Protect life, property, and make citizens safe
from violence and spread of disease
 Conflict between values of freedom and order:
policy to strengthen one takes away from the
other
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Two Dilemmas of Government

Modern Dilemma: Freedom vs. Equality
 Values clash when government enacts policies
to promote social equality
 Equal Pay Act
 School busing
 Discrimination (employment, public services, genetic
testing, etc.)
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Ideology and the
Scope of Government

Totalitarianism
 Government should have unlimited power

Socialism
 Scope of government extends to ownership or
control of basic industries that produce
goods/services
 Democratic socialism
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Ideology and the
Scope of Government

Capitalism
 Supports free enterprise

Libertarianism
 Opposed to all government action except to
protect life and property
 Laissez faire economics

Anarchism
 Opposes government of any form
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Anarchists at the Inauguration
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Ideology and the
Scope of Government

Liberals and Conservatives: The
Narrow Middle
 Practical politics in the U.S. ranges over center
of ideological continuum
Liberals
Conservatives
Favor more government
spending, programs and
regulation
Favor less government
spending, programs and
regulation
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Ideology and the
Scope of Government
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American Political Ideologies and
the Purpose of Government

Liberals vs. Conservatives: New
Differences
 Today: differences focus on purpose of
government
 Conservatives: support maintenance of social order
 Liberals: support use of government to promote
equality
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American Political Ideologies and
the Purpose of Government

Two-Dimensional Classification of
Ideologies: Freedom and Order
 Libertarians: value freedom more than order or
equality
 Liberals: value freedom more than order, but
not more than equality
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American Political Ideologies and
the Purpose of Government

Two-Dimensional Classification of
Ideologies: Freedom and Order
 Conservatives: value freedom more than
equality, would restrict it to preserve social
order
 Communitarians: value both equality and order
more than freedom
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Ideologies:
A TwoDimensional
Framework
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