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Variations on Democracy:
U.S. vs. England
n England – parliamentary
n U.S. – Congress & Constitution
n English Parliament n Rubber stamps legislation n No regular elections n Cannot sue the government n Only national laws, no local laws
U.S. vs. England
n U.S. n Schools controlled at local level n Anyone can run for office n Unions less powerful n Religion important in politics n Activist Courts n Treaties ratified by Senate
n England n Schools controlled at national level n Party leaders decide n Unions more powerful n Religion plays a minimal role n Decisions by leg. n Prime Minister’s signature
Structure of U.S. Gov’t
n Congress – Legislative – makes laws n Senate & House of Representatives
n President – Executive – enforces laws
n Courts – Judicial – interprets laws
Key Political Concepts
n Government – Government consists of those institutions that have the authority to make decisions binding on the whole society. n Politics – Politics is the activity generated by the conflict over who will run the government and what decisions it will make.
Key Political Concepts,
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n Power – The ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions.
n Authority – The right to use power.
n Legitimacy – What makes a law or constitution a source of right.
Meaning of Democracy
n Democratic Centralism – serves the true interests of the people n Soviet Union, Cuba n Direct Democracy – all citizens participate in making laws. n New England town hall meetings n Representative Democracy – We elect people to represent us and vote on our behalf. n United States
Failures of the Presidential
System
n Too many road blocks n Congress n President n Courts n States
n No one held accountable
Theories of Who Governs
n Marxism – People who believe that those who control the economic system also control the political one. n Focus is on the means of production n Gov’t is controlled by a dominate social class
Theories of Who Governs,
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n Power Elite – A theory that states that the government is run by a core of elite wealthy individuals. n Less emphasis on economics than Marxism n Three core groups
- Corporate leaders
- Top military leaders
- Key political leaders
Theories of Who Governs,
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n Bureaucratic – The government is run by appointed bureaucrats who have life terms, and do not have to answer to anyone. n Political & social aspects n Career specialists
Theories of Who Governs,
continued
n Pluralist – The belief that political resources are divided among different kinds of elites. n Different institutions within gov’t & society
