Chapter One: The Democratic Republic

1. Chapter One: The Democratic Republic

2. Learning Objectives • Understand why governments exist. • Be familiar with and use appropriately the terms: politics, government, and institutions. • Understand the concepts of order (or security) and liberty. • Understand the concepts of authority and legitimacy.

3. Learning Objectives • Briefly describe several forms of government (totalitarianism, authoritarian regime, aristocracy, democracy). • Understand the difference between direct democracy on the one hand and a democratic republic (a representative democracy) on the other. • Explain why the United States is a democratic republic.

4. Learning Objectives • Explain the key features of democracies (universal suffrage, consent of the governed, majority rule, limited government). • Describe competing theories of how the U. S. democracy works (majoritarianism, elite theories, and pluralism). • Describe the trade-off between order and liberty, and between equality and liberty (in the form of property).

5. Learning Objectives • Define the concept of ideology and explain the dominant ideologies in the United States (liberalism and conservatism). • Distinguish between economic liberalism and conservatism and cultural liberalism and conservatism. Provide some distinguishing characteristics of selected totalitarian ideologies, specifically communism, fascism, and radical Islamism.

6. Learning Objectives • Understand current demographic trends in the United States and assess the possible impacts of these changes on the political system. • Identify and explain the significance of the cultural values and ideologies that support the American political system. • Evaluate the challenges to the U.S. system posed by globalization and environmental change.

7. Politics and Government • What is Politics? • Process of resolving conflicts • Struggle over power or influence within an organization or informal groups

8. Politics and Government • What Is Government? • Institution that resolves conflicts • Institution that allocates benefits and privileges

9. Why Is Government Necessary? • Security • Liberty • Authority • Legitimacy

10. Why Choose Democracy? • Types of Regimes • Totalitarian • Authoritarian • Oligarchy • Democracy • Anarchy

11. Why Choose Democracy? • Direct Democracy as a Model • Political decisions are made by the people directly, rather than by their elected representatives. • Attained most easily in small political communities

12. Why Choose Democracy? • Direct Democracy Today • Initiative • Referendum • Recall • Teledemocracy

13. Why Choose Democracy? • Dangers of Direct Democracy • Although the founders believed in government based on the consent of the people, they were concerned about mob rule. • Devised institutions to filter the popular will through elected elites.

14. Why Choose Democracy? • Republic: sovereignty rests with the people. • Democratic republic: power rests with the people, but policy decisions are made by elected officials.

15. Why Choose Democracy? • Principles of Democratic Government • Universal suffrage • Majority rule • Free and competitive elections • Limited government based on a constitution

16. Who Really Rules in America? • Theories About “Who Really Rules in America?” • Majoritarian Theory: government ought to do what the majority wants. • Elite Theory: small cohesive group makes nearly all political decisions. • Pluralist Theory: various groups compete for power.

17. Fundamental Values • What Is Political Culture? • Political culture is a set of ideas, values, and ways of thinking about government and politics that are shared by all citizens.

18. Fundamental Values • What Is Political Socialization? Political socialization is the process by which beliefs and values are transmitted to new immigrants and children.

19. Fundamental Values • Fundamental Political Values • Individual freedom • Security • Equality • Order • Security • Property

20. Fundamental Values

21. Political Ideologies • What Is Political Ideology? A political ideology is a set of beliefs about politics that provides a well-organized theory about the goals for a society.

22. Political Ideologies

23. Political Ideologies

24. Political Ideologies • Liberalism: set of beliefs that maintains that government should improve people’s lives, support civil rights, and tolerate social change. • Conservatism: set of beliefs that maintains that government should have a limited role in helping people, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change.

25. The Challenge of Change Demographic Changes: • Aging population • Low birthrate • Ethnic changes: growth of Hispanic population

26. The Challenge of Change

27. The Challenge of Change

28. The Challenge of Change Globalization: • Impacts employment • Impacts flow of goods and people • Diminishes power of government

29. The Challenge of Change Environmental Changes: • Global warming • Pandemics • Pollution

30. Web Links • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Servicesinformation about the rules and requirements for immigration and citizenship: www.uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm • U.S. Government access to federal government offices and agencies: www.usa.gov

31. What If…Citizens Were Required to Vote? • In the 2008 election, only 30% of the voting age population elected Barack Obama. • Groups that are less likely to vote include younger voters, less-educated citizens, and those who are economically disadvantaged. • Mandatory voting could lead to policies that help all citizens.

32. What If…Citizens Were Required to Vote?? Unintended consequences of mandatory voting: • Increase in uninformed voters • Voting would not be considered voluntary