THE NATURE OF POWER, POLITICS, AND GOVERNMENT
Essential Question:
Why should you care about power, politics, and government?
Part 1 : Quotations About Power
Consider the following quotations:
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” ----Lord Acton (1887)
It is note power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and
fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.----Aung San Suu Kyi
(1990)
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so
formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women------Ronald Reagan
(1981)
The men who create power make and indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness,
but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable--------John F.
Kennedy (1963)
Respond to the following: (On a scale of 1-5 are the above statements, 1 = never true, 3=
sometimes true, 5 = always true)
1. Which of the following quotations is most true about power?
2. Which of the quotations is most true about politics?
3. Which of the following is most true about your own life?
Part 2: Politics / Political Games
Politics according to Harold Laswell’s definition of politics: “ Who gets what,
when, and how”
5 Political Games
1. Horse Trading- hard bargaining that goes on in politics. Basic strategy involves giving up
something one’s opponent wants in exchange for something of equal—or greater—value.
(President Johnson and Civil Rights Act of 1964)
2. Walkout- the walkout game is commonly played by labor unions to back up demands for
better pay and working conditions. If employers refuse those demands, union workers may
choose to strike, or walk off their jobs.
3. Power Struggle- President John F. Kennedy played the power struggle game with the
Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis. The president viewed Soviet construction of
missile bases in Cuba as a threat to the security of the United States. To end that threat, he
employed both force and cunning. He used the threat of the military while also negotiating with
the Soviets.
4. Demolition Derby- the aim of demolition derby is the complete destruction of one’s
opponents. In the political version of this game, players try to eliminate all real and perceived
enemies. (Machiavelli)
5. Civil Disobedience- The key players in the political game of civil disobedience are people
of conscience, moral crusaders whose goal is to end some social or political evil. Their strategy
involves publicly shaming the opposition. They accomplish this by deliberately disobeying what
they consider an unjust law. (Civil Rights Movement)
Part 2- Politics and the Games People Play
Watch the clip “The Johnson Treatment” and respond to the following:
Politics
Sources of Power
What motivated Lyndon
Johnson to take action on
Civil Rights?
Describe all the sources of
power that Lyndon Johnson
used to get what he wanted
What did Lyndon Johnson
want to achieve?
Describe all sources of
power used by Congress to
prevent passage of the bill
Political Games
Using the descriptions
above, apply the best
description(s) to the
“political game” being used
by Lyndon Johnson to the
pass the Civil Rights Act of
1964
Did Lyndon Johnson achieve his goal? How has the Civil Rights Act of 1964 impacted the
United States with regard to minority groups? (African-Americans, Latino-Americans, Women,
etc. )
Watch the clip “Sal Castro and the 1968 East LA Walkout” and respond to the following:
Politics
What motivated the students
to follow Sal Castro’s lead to
protest?
What were the students
demands?
Sources of Power
Describe all the sources of
power that students used to
get what they wanted
Political Games
Using the descriptions
above, apply the best
description(s) to the
“political game” being used
by the students and Sal
Castro
Describe all sources of
power used by the school
district to end the protest
Describe all sources of
power used by the police and
law enforcement to end the
protest
Did the students at Lincoln High achieve their goal? Do you believe this had a long term impact
on how students were treated and perceived?