AP AMERICAN GOV’T DILEMMAS OF DEMOCRACY. Government n Government=legitimate use of force within...
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Transcript of AP AMERICAN GOV’T DILEMMAS OF DEMOCRACY. Government n Government=legitimate use of force within...
AP AMERICAN GOV’T
DILEMMAS OF DEMOCRACY
Government
Government=legitimate use of force within specific geographic boundaries to control human behavior
Oldest objective of government= to protect life and property
Public goods=things provided for free by the government– Examples include sanitation, education, highways,
etc….are they really free???
DEMOCRACY
Democracy was originally considered undesirable because it meant “mob rule”
Gov’t derives its power from the governed
The word is not used in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence
SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY
Thomas Jefferson (based on John Locke’s principles)– We, as citizens, enter into an agreement with the
government, allowing it to create rules that set boundaries for our behavior and protect our life, liberty, and property
If the gov’t goes too far w/ that power, we as citizens, can dissolve that government and it is our responsibility to create a new one
TWO TYPES OF DEMOCRACY
Direct - used in Ancient Greece– People en mass decide every issue
regarding the gov’t. Impractical in larger societies
Representative - (Republic form of gov’t) - people elect leaders to represent them in gov’t and make decisions on their behalf
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
If those we elect do not listen to our wishes, we have the ability, and responsibility to vote them out of office–Unfortunately, we do not participate,
for various reasons, so our elected officials generally ignore us
FEDERALIST #10 Madison said that “factions” (groups) would
arise, and form, in an effort to take control of the government– This would be good because all ideas would be
presented – Best idea benefiting the greatest number of people
would ultimately prevail (greatest good for greatest number)
Because people do not always participate, today we view these factions as Interest Groups who influence most policies passed by government officials
DEMOCRACY AS AN IDEAL Personal Liberty - most powerful value in
American history-my mind, my thoughts, my body
Self determination - everyone must have the opportunity to succeed
Americans favor equality of opportunity NOT equality of outcome
We are NOT for economic equality-are we??? Popular consent - gov’t derives all of its
power from the consent of the governed
ELEMENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION
Separation of powers - this established the individual powers of the three branches.
Checks and balances - this prevents any of the three BRANCHES from gaining too much power.
Federalism - established the power of the LEVELS of gov’t (Federal vs. State)
Due process - All citizens are treated equally before the law
THREE CONCEPTS OF GOVERNMENT
The three concepts of government are freedom, order, and equality
The original dilemma of democracy pits FREEDOM VS. ORDER– How much of our freedom should we give up
to ensure that we are protected by the government? Franklin- “Any society that would give up a little
liberty to gain a little security deserve neither and lose both”
Has this changed since 9/11?
FREEDOM
FREEDOM FROM VS. FREEDOM OF– Freedom of = rights that cannot be taken from
you– Freedom of speech, religion, etc.
Freedom from = what the gov’t is responsible to provide for you– Freedom from fear, want, hunger
The government is responsible to provide equally in front of the law to all of its citizens
ORDER
The government maintains order and security for your person and property– Based on John Locke’s “2nd Treatise on
Government”– Basic objective of government is to protect
life, liberty, and property HUGE influence on Declaration of
Independence and the Founding Fathers
EQUALITY
TWO TYPES– Political equality - one person, one vote– Social equality - determined by wealth,
education and status. Those with more social equality have
more power
Modern Dilemma of Gov’t FREEDOM VS. EQUALITY–How much of our freedom should
citizens give up to ensure that all citizens are treated equally?Examples: school busing, ADA of 1990, social services (entitlements)
People favor freedom over equality
Models of Democracy
Majoritarian - government by the people– Key is popular election:
choose wisely re-elect or vote out based on performance
– FLAW- assumes citizens are knowledgeable and want to participate
Closest we have at national level is during presidential elections (>50% voter turnout)
Majoritarian democracy
Three examples at the state level– Initiative - puts policy issue on ballot by gaining
signatures– Referendum - creates a vote to remove a law
based on signatures.– Recall - removing an elected official through a
vote of the people (after petition)
States differ in which they allow
Pluralist Model Pluralist model of democracy=government
by some of the people– Groups compete against each other to gain power
and influence policy– Form based on shared religion, ethnicities, culture,
occupation, beliefs, etc.– Usually form into interest groups– Spend money, time, and resources to influence
policies to benefit their group. They can have influence at all levels of gov’t
(fed, state, or local)
Pluralist Model
1950s –concept of pluralism – Modern society consists of many groups that
share economic, religious, ethnic or cultural interests People of similar interests organize formal
groups–When organized group seeks to influence
public policy it is called an interest group, also called a lobby
Pluralist Model Interprets “government by the people” to mean govt. by the
people through competing interest groups– Democracy exists when many (plural) organizations operate
separately from the government, press their interests on the government and even challenge the govt. Shifts the focus of dem. govt. from mass electorate to organized groups-
opposite of Majoritarian Theory
Pluralist idea is evident in three branches of govt.– 1950s-NAACP couldn’t get Congress to pass legislation to integrate
schools in the South, the group took its case to the Supreme Court If all opposing interests are allowed to organize, and if system can be
open so all substantial claims are heard, the decisions will serve the diverse needs of pluralist society
ELITE THEORY
Small identifiable group makes most important gov’t decisions
Examples:– Wealthy corporations control the agenda– Military industrial complex- they trump all groups in
time of conflict– Mass media- controls flow of information; pushes
liberal agenda
Elite Theory
Many believe this theory makes US oligarchy– Few people define issues and outcomes
for their own interests Theory gives plausible explanation for
specific political positions, such as loopholes in tax codes that favor wealthy
Summary of theories of democracy
Majoritarian
RARE
Pluralist
Most common
Elitism
Most powerful
Government by all the people
Government by some of the people
Government by a few of the people
Citizens band together to control policies
Interest groups compete for power based on policy
Same powerful group controls policies when it wants to
Political Ideology
Definition- consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government
The continuum stretches from anarchy (no government) to totalitarianism (video)
Most of the argument in American politics takes places in the center of this ideological continuum
Main ideologies of USA
Liberals = equality > freedom > order– Support social programs, environmental
policies, stronger federal government Conservatives = order > freedom >
equality– Support national defense, stronger state
government, free enterprise
Other ideologies
Libertarians = equality > freedom & order– Oppose all gov’t action except that which is
necessary to protect life and property Communitarians - order & equality >
freedom–More socialist in nature-govt. controls
major means of production, but equality, freedom, order rank equally