The Study of

1
Chapter 1

• The Study of
• American Government

2
What is Political Power?

• Power
• Textbook definition the ability of one person
  to get another person to act in accordance with
  the first persons intentions (p.4)
• My definition the ability to get someone to do
  something that they would not have done on their
  own

3
Power, Authority Legitimacy

• Authority the right to use power (p.4)
• Legitimacy
• Textbook definition Political authority
  conferred by law or by a state or national
  constitution
• My definition that which conveys authority or
  what gives you the right

4
Potential Sources of Legitimacy

• Religion
• Divine Right of Kings
• Appointment by religious leaders
• Examples The Pope, Iranian presidential
  candidates
• Bruit Strength
• Military dictators
• Social Contract
• Constitutions

5
Age of Enlightenment

• Late 17th Century through the 18th Century
• Thoughts about where legitimacy comes from were
  beginning to change
• Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
• The father of political realism
• Wrote The Leviathan
• Early social contract theory

6
The Leviathan

• Man in the state of nature is in a constant state
  of war, every man against every man
• Nothing good can develop in a state of nature for
  fear of losing it
• The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty,
  brutish, and short.
• There is no morality other than self-preservation
• An over-arching authority is necessary for order
  preferably a benevolent king

7
Tenets of Enlightenment Thinking

• Humanism human beings are the measure of value
• Rationalism reason can be used to solve
  problems
• Secularism religion is not the final authority
  on public life
• Progressivism human history is the story of
  progress
• Universalism there is a singular human nature

8
Enlightenment Thinkers

• John Locke (1632-1704)
• Father of political liberalism
• Wrote Second Treatise on Civil Government
• His ideas contradicted those of Hobbes

9
Second Treatise on Civil Government

• Man in the state of nature is free
• Nature is better than monarchy
• People should preserve each other
• Private property preceded government
• Men join society voluntarily, therefore it should
  be democratic and protect its people and their
  property
• The use of force causes war, which society was
  formed to avoid, so society should avoid the use
  of force

10
Hobbes vs. Locke

• Man in the state of nature is in a constant state
  of war, every man against every man
• Nothing good can develop in a state of nature for
  fear of losing it
• The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty,
  brutish, and short.
• There is no morality other than self-preservation
• An over-arching authority is necessary for order
  preferably a benevolent king

• Man in the state of nature is free
• Private property preceded government
• People should preserve each other
• Men join society voluntarily, therefore it should
  be democratic and protect its people and their
  property
• The use of force causes war, which society was
  formed to avoid, so society should avoid the use
  of force
• Nature is better than monarchy

11
Other Enlightenment Thinkers

• Voltaire (1694-1778)
• I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend
  to the death your right to say it
• Rousseau (1712-1778)
• Wrote The Social Contract
• Believed in popular sovereignty
• Advocated direct democracy

12
What is Democracy?

• Democracy rule of the many (p. 6)
• demos people
• cracy rule or authority
• Aristotle (4th Century BC Greece)
• Free, land-owning males were citizens
• Direct democracy

13
Types of Democracies

• Direct or participatory democracy citizens
  decide directly on policy matters
• Example New England town meetings
• Representative democracy (republic) elected
  officials make policy decisions
• Example United States government

14
Why not direct democracy?

• The framers decided that direct democracy was
  unwise
• Most citizens dont have the time, information,
  interest and expertise to make reasonable choices
  on public policy
• Even highly educated people can be manipulated by
  demagogues who play on fear and prejudices

15
The Mechanics of Representative Democracy

• Robert Dahl Polyarchy
• Participation who gets to vote
• Contestation who runs for office
• Both are required for polyarchy
• The more you have of each, the closer you come to
  full democracy

16
Requirements for competition

• From the textbook (p. 8)
• Individuals and parties can run for office
• Free communication
• Voters perceive that a meaningful choice exists

17
Requirements for Democracy

• According to Dahl
• Freedom to form join organizations
• Freedom of expression
• Right to vote
• Eligibility for public office
• Right of political leaders to compete for support
• Alternative sources of information
• Free and fair elections
• Institutions for making government policies
  depend on votes and other expressions of
  preference

18
Where does power lie?

• 4 views on where political power really lies in
  our society (pp. 9-10)
• Marxist view
• Economic power political power
• Those who control the means of production control
  the political power as well

19
4 views continued

• Power elite view - non-elected elites (corporate
  leaders, military leaders, media bosses, etc.)
  control what happens
• Bureaucratic view those who carry out policy
  and laws really have the power
• Pluralist view power is sufficiently divided
  among elites and public opinion to represent the
  views of all with no one group having a monopoly