Download American Political Culture - American Government | POLS 1101 and more Study notes Local Government Studies in PDF only on Docsity! American Political Culture •Politics: process through which individuals & groups collectively decide on a course of action. •Government: the institutions and procedures that oversee and control a territory’s people Government & Politics Political Ideology • People’s beliefs about American values have variations —> different ideologies • ideology = coherent set of beliefs based on underlying principles Liberal Conservative more govt involvement less govt. involvement taxing, spending not taxing, not spending govt. should help the unfortunate people are responsible for themselves societal norms should evolve traditional norms are best war should be avoided national security must be protected emphasizes civil liberties focuses on criminal victims values difference values conformity A primer on American ideology • autocracy—single person dictates/ rules • oligarchy— small group of people control most govt. decisions • democracy—the people govern themselves, usually through electing public officials Who governs low inclusiveness high inclusiveness • totalitarian—govt. shd. control all areas of political, economic, and social life • authoritarian—govt. recogonizes no formal limits, but may be constrained by social institutions • constitutional/liberal—govt. strictly limited by constitution or formal laws How they govern few limits broad limits Some Important Thinkers • John Locke—govt. needs the consent of the people • John Stuart Mill—free discourse is essential to intellectual and social progress • James Madison—impossible and wrong to limit free expression, so must encourage all to exercise this right • the struggle of competing interest groups for governmental influence • first discussed by Madison in Fed. 10 (“factions”) • power is fractured, spread over many groups • But • many say this is an unrealistic depiction • highly conflictual • can lead to stalemate Pluralism Summary • Americans don’t always trust their government, often due to • ideology • low political efficacy • low political knowledge • Core political values: equality, liberty, democracy • Ours is Constitutional democracy; know other kinds.