Chapter Overview
|
Chapter 17: Politics and Government Chapter Overview |
|
PART I: CHAPTER OUTLINE
PART II: LEARNING OBJECTIVES
PART III: CHAPTER REVIEW: KEY POINTSPOWER AND AUTHORITY Politics refers to the social institution that distributes power, sets a society's agenda, and makes decisions. Government refers to a formal organization that directs the political life of a society. Max Weber defined power as the ability to achieve desired ends despite resistance. Authority, said Weber, is power people perceive as legitimate rather than coercive. Weber identified three general contexts in which power is commonly defined as authority. Traditional Authority Traditional authority is power legitimized by respect for long-established cultural patterns. This type of power is common in preindustrial societies. It has a sacred character. Rational-Legal Authority Rational-legal authority, or bureaucratic authority, is power legitimized by legally enacted rules and regulations. It stresses achievement over ascribed characteristics, and underlies most authority in the U.S. today. Charismatic Authority Charismatic authority is power legitimized through extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience. Charismatic movements are dependent on their leader. The long-term persistence of such a movement requires the routinization of charisma, or the transformation of charismatic authority into some combination of traditional and bureaucratic authority. Christianity is an example of this process. POLITICS IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE The 191 nation-states of the world manifest many different types of governments, but they all bear close resemblance to one of four types of political systems. Monarchy A monarchy is a political system in which a single family rules from generation to generation. It is legitimized primarily through tradition. Absolute monarchies dominated from England to China, and remained widespread until early in the twentieth century. Today, several countries, such as Great Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, have constitutional monarchies, in which monarchs are merely symbolic heads of state. Democracy Democracy refers to a political system in which power is exercised by the people as a whole. A representative democracy places authority in the hands of elected officials who are accountable to the people. This type of system is most common in the relatively rich industrial societies of the world. They are characterized by rational-legal patterns of authority and function as bureaucracies. But such societies are not truly democratic for two reasons. First, there is the problem of bureaucracy. Most members of government bureaucracies are not elected by the people and are not held accountable to them. The second reason concerns economic inequality. Rich people have much more political clout than poor people. Democracy and Freedom: Capitalist and Socialist Approaches Both capitalist and socialist countries claim to operate as democracies. To understand this claim, we need to look at political economics--or the interplay of politics and economies. Political freedom in capitalist systems has meant personal liberty. In socialist systems freedom has traditionally meant freedom from basic want. Authoritarianism Authoritarianism refers to a political system that denies popular participation in government. While to some degree this is true for all political systems, as used here, authoritarianism characterizes political systems that are indifferent to people's lives. Totalitarianism More severe political control characterizes totalitarianism, a political system that extensively regulates people's lives. Such systems have emerged only within this century as technological means have enabled such leaders to rigidly regulate citizens' lives. Such systems bridge the political continuum from the far right, like Nazi Germany, to the far left, like the People's Republic of China. Socialism, an economic system, is not to be confused with totalitarianism, a political system. A Global Political System? Multinational corporations and the Information Revolution are identified as forces that are changing the nature of global politics. POLITICS IN THE UNITED STATES Political development in the United States reflects our distinctive history, capitalist economy and cutural heritage. U.S. Culture and the Rise of the Welfare State Our tradition of valuing individualism is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and the self-reliance and competition that emerge supports our capitalist economy. A welfare state refers to a range of government agencies and programs that provides benefits to the population. While people in the U.S. do not like "too much" government, almost everyone thinks that government is necessary. The federal budget in 1997 was over 1.5 trillion dollars. It was a mere 4.5 million dollars in 1789. The Political Spectrum The political spectrum ranges from the extreme liberals on the left to the extreme conservatives on the right. Historically, the Republican party has been more conservative and the Democratic party more liberal. Attitudes in the U.S. differ on two kinds of issues--economic and social. Economic Issues While both the Democrats and Republicans support the basic outlines of the welfare state, there are some differences between the two parties. Democrats tend to support more extensive government involvement in the economy than the Republicans support.Mixed Positions Orientations on social and political issues vary by social class, gender, race and ethnicity. For example, well-to-do women and men tend to be conservative on economic issues and liberal on social issues. The opposite pattern is found among working-class people. Party Identification Political party identification in the U.S. is relatively weak compared to European democracies. Forty-six percent of adults identify with the Democratic party, while almost thirty-seven percent identify with the Republican party. Special-Interest Groups A special-interest group refers to a political alliance of people interested in some economic or social issue. Many such groups employ lobbyists who represent their concerns to the government. Political action committees (PACS) are organizations formed by a special-interest group, independent of political parties, to pursue political aims by raising and spending money. Voter Apathy Despite socialization influences, formal and informal, many people express indifference concerning politics. Voter apathy has recently been found to be worse in the United States than in most other industrialized democracies. The likelihood of voting increases with age and varies by race, ethnicity, and sex. There are many causes for this apathy--registration rules, physical disabilities, and illiteracy are three examples. Voter satisfied with social conditions as they currently exist can also reduce participation. Conservatives believe indifference is the cause of voter apathy; for liberals, the cause is seen as alienation.
THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF POWER IN SOCIETY The Pluralist Model: The People Rule The pluralist model is an analysis of politics that views power as dispersed among many competing interest groups. This approach is closely aligned with the structural-functional paradigm. Politics is an arena of negotiation between many competing organizational interests. Organizations then operate as veto groups. Negotiating alliances and compromises is crucial in this process. The Power-Elite Model: A Few People Rule The power-elite model is an analysis of politics that views power as concentrated among the rich. The term was introduced by C. Wright Mills in 1956. He perceived the U.S. society, its economy, government, and military, as being dominated by a coalition of families. The Marxist Model: Bias in the System Itself The Marxist political-economy model is an analysis that explains politics in terms of the operation of a society's economic system. Like the power-elite model, the Marxist model rejects the idea that the U.S. operates as a political democracy. However, instead of focusing on the unequal distribution of wealth and power, it concentrates on the nation's institutions. Research by Robert and Helen Lynd suggests that this was true in the typical U.S. city. They studied Muncie, Indiana referring to it as Middletown. Research by Floyd Hunter in Atlanta, Georgia, also found evidence to support the power-elite model. Robert Dahl and Nelson Polsby did separate research in New Haven, Connecticut. Each found support for the pluralist model.
POWER BEYOND THE RULES Revolution Political revolution is the overthrow of one political system in order to establish another. While reform involves change within a system, revolution means change of the system itself. Several general patterns characterize revolutions. These include: a rise in expectations, an unresponsive government, a radical leadership by intellectuals, and the establishment of a new legitimacy. Terrorism Terrorism constitutes random acts of violence or the threat of such violence employed by an individual or group as a political strategy. Four insights are offered about terrorism. First, terrorists try to paint violence as a legitimate political tactic. Second, terrorism it is not just employed by groups, but also by governments. State terrorism is the use of violence, generally without support of the law, by government officials. Third, democratic societies are especially vulnerable to terrorism because they afford extensive civil liberties to their people and have less extensive police networks. Finally, terrorism is always a matter of definition. WAR AND PEACE War is organized, armed conflict among the people of various societies. The Causes of War War, according to research, is not the result of some natural human aggressive tendency. It is a product of society. The following factors are identified by Quincy Wright as promoting war: perceived threats, social problems, political objectives, moral objectives, and the absence of alternatives. The Costs and Causes of Militarism The cost of militarism runs far higher than actual war. To fund it, governments must divert resources away from social needs. Nineteen percent of our federal budget goes to fund our military. The arms race, a mutually reinforcing escalation of military might, has developed. The military-industrial complex refers to a close association between the federal government, the military, and defense industries. Nuclear Weapons Nuclear proliferation refers to the acquisition of nuclear weapons technology by more and more societies. The current list of nations possessing nuclear capability is identified, as well as those which are close to having such capability. The Pursuit of Peace Several approaches are identified as means of reducing the danger of nuclear war. These include: Deterrence, high-technology defense, diplomacy and disarmament, and resolving underlying conflict.
|
 |
A Pearson Company Legal Notice |