Unit II Lesson 1

The Political Spectrum and Political Socialization

Essential Question:• Why do Americans believe what they do about

politics and what role do families, schools and

media play in the changing or perpetuating of

these political beliefs?

• In what ways do Americans participate in their

political system?

• How does participation vary among various

racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups in the

nation?

• How have political parties developed, how are

they organized, and what effect do they have

on the political process?

Anarchy

“Democrat”, “Liberal”, “Republican”, “Conservative”

What does it all MEAN?

“A whole bunch of

government in your

life? Very few rights

for citizens?”

Government has total power

(100%)

Government has no power

(0%)

“Little government in

your life but rights

aren’t being protected

and no services are

being provided to

citizens”

The political spectrum is simply a

convenient way to determine the level of

government involvement in something:Mr. Sea

Government

has total

power

(100%)

Government

has no

power

(0%)

Moderate- In the middle of the political

spectrum meaning “average” or not strongly

one way or another

“Moderate”

*Despite what you hear

on the news, almost all

U.S. government

programs and political

parties today are only

SLIGHTLY to the left or

right of “moderate”

We don’t have…

“Moderate”

Government

has total

power

(100%)

No

government

at all

(0%)

“Moderate”

Government

Programs/Laws Political Parties

More

Government

“Moderate”

Moderate

Liberal- Generally speaking liberal programs and political

parties are to the left on the political spectrum and believe

government has a responsibility to 1) help solve society’s

problems and 2) provide equal opportunity for all citizens

More “Liberal”

LiberalEqual

Opportunity

Liberal

Liberal

Communism

Facism

“Moderate”

Less

Government

ModerateLiberal

Moderate

Conservative- Generally speaking conservative programs and

political parties are to the right on the political spectrum, and 1)

believe in personal responsibility ,and 2) that government gets

in the way of individuals solving their own problems

More “Conservative”

Conservative

Conservative

“Personal Responsibility”

“Social Mobility”

Conservatives

No

government

at all

(0%)

Moderate

More “Conservative”

“Conservative”

“Something that effects society as a whole

but typically not relating to the economy,

foreign policy, or war”

Roles Are Reversed

“Conservatives”

Some

“Liberals”

“Conservative”“Liberal”

“Conservatives”

“Liberal’* “Conservative”“Liberal”

*

*Just make sure you know the

“Conservative”“Liberal”

“Liberal” “Conservative”

“How does one BECOME liberal or

conservative?”

Political Socialization- The process by which people

come to acquire their political beliefs and values

“Liberal” “Conservative”

•Family

91%

“Political Socialization”

•Race“Political

Socialization”

•Income “Political Socialization”

•Location “Political Socialization”

“Conservative”

“Liberal”

“Liberal”

“Conservative”

•Religion

Catholics

Jews

“Political Socialization”

Evangelical Christians

“Liberal”

“Conservative”

•Higher Education

“Intellectuals”

“Political Socialization”

“Liberal”

•The Media“Political

Socialization”

The Most

Important Thing

to Remember

About Political

Socialization:

Political socialization and an individual’s political ideology can

(and probably will) change over the course of their life (ex.

“Liberal” on welfare and minimum wage in your youth;

“Conservative” when it becomes YOUR tax dollars paying for

these programs)

“Liberal” “Conservative”

Political Spectrum

Political Socialization

All of the following represent a liberal political attitude EXCEPT:

A.Approval of government efforts to reduce unemployment

B.Approval of higher tax rates for wealthy citizens

C.Approval of government supported hiring opportunities for minorities

D.Approval of higher government spending on military programs

A conservative would probably support:

A.Higher taxes on the upper class

B.Increased access to abortions

C.Decreasing the power of federal

bureaucracies like the Environmental

Protection Agency

D.More expansive gun control measures like

background checks and waiting periods

A politician who advocates raising minimum

wage, increasing the budget for Social

Security, and involving the federal

government more in the protection of the

environment would be considered a:

A.Populist

B.Liberal

C.Conservative

D.Libertarian

Political socialization refers to:

A.Which political party a person identifies

with

B.How an individual’s political views and

beliefs are developed

C.The measure of the public’s attitude on

national issues

D.The role of the government in promoting

national identity

Which of the following factors has the

greatest influence in determining an

individual’s political ideology?

A.Education level

B.Socioeconomic status

C.Family

D.Age

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between an

individual’s income and his or her attitude toward government spending?

A.Higher income groups tend to support greater spending for social programs

B.Lower income groups tend to support higher defense spending

C.Lower income groups tend to support greater spending for social programs

D.There is no correlation between income and views on government spending

One reason that lower income groups are more likely to favor liberal policies is that

they:

A.Have highly developed political knowledge

B.Typically pay more in federal income taxes

C.Have probably benefited from federal social programs in the past

D.Believe strongly in “trickle-down” economics