Ch 1 Notes Review

Question 0

What does the term coercion refer to?

Answer 0

Persuading someone to do something by the use of force or fear

Question 1

What are two common ideas of what politics are?

Answer 1

• who gets what, when, and how

- authoritative allocation of values

Question 2

What is one very important concept that makes the government different than other organizations like a church group or ect?

Answer 2

The government is allowed to use a concept called coercion. The government is the only group that can legitimately use the power of coercion legally, making it the ultimate decider of who gets what.

Question 3

Explain sovereignty in terms of coercion.

Answer 3

Sovereignty is the authority to legally wield this coercive power to allocate values. On a side note, this is why monarchs have been called “ sovereigns”.

Question 4

What are the 3 common forms of sovereignty used and what are the characteristics of each one?

Answer 4

Autocracy:

• the power to allocate values lies in the hands of one person
• think Hitler(Germany) and Stalin(USSR)

Oligarchy:

• the power to allocate values lies in the hands of a small group of people
• think of a military junta( group of generals)

Democracy:

• the power to allocate values is shared among all citizens
• democracy is derived from demos which means “people” and kratia which means “rule” so it is literally “rule by the people”
• this is also where the term “popular sovereignty” comes from, because it is the popular decision among all who have sovereignty, which is all the citizens

Question 5

How effective is the political system of democracy? If efficient or inefficient, why? Also is there any trade -offs to it being fast or slow( reason why the efficiency or inefficiency is worth it)?

Answer 5

• The political system of democracy has been shown to create a very slow and inefficient decision making process
• This is because democratic decision making demands patience, tolerance of opposing views, and willingness to compromise. Ironically this democratic process is what most Americans find the most frustrating.
• However a system based on popular sovereignty(democracy) tends to be more equitable(fair and impartial) and just. Most could agree this is worth the inefficiency.

Question 6

What are the main characteristics of a democracy?

Answer 6

• the right to vote
• the right to publicly disagree with government decisions and other people
• the right to petition an elected representative
• the right to sue
• the right to form an organization with policy goals
• the right to engage in a political campaign
• the right to support a political party

Question 7

Can a democratic process ever produce an undemocratic outcome?

Answer 7

Yes. Historically majorities have supported policies to deny voting rights and educational/economic opportunities to citizens based on gender, ethnicity, and race. However there are many policies and systems set in place to help balance out this flaw.

Question 8

Explain the difference between popular sovereignty in theory vs. in practice.

Answer 8

• in theory: popular sovereignty helps ensure a system where everyone is a political equal and free to participate in making binding decisions.
• in practice: popular sovereignty rest on the extent to which the process and outcomes of a political system are consistent with three core principles: majority rule, political freedom, and political equality. To be democratic, the process of making decisions and the outcomes must be compatible with these three principles (which doesn’t always happen)

Question 9

How does a democracy seek to excersize popular sovereignty?

Answer 9

The government exercises popular sovereignty through majority rule. Which means that the government follows the course of action proffered by most people( 50% plus one vote), however this must also be balanced by minority rights.

Question 10

What is a minority?

Answer 10

A minority is any group that is inferior to the majority, and retains the full rights of a democratic citizenship.

Question 11

Explain democracy in theory compared to in practice.

Answer 11

In theory: he right of minorities-their political freedom- cannot be taken away, even if the majority prefers this course of action

In practice: majorities have often succeeded in depriving minorities if their democratic rights

Question 12

What are the rights of political freedom?

Answer 12

• the right to criticize governmental leaders and policies
• the right to propose new courses of government action
• the right to form and join interest groups
• the right to discuss political issues free from government censorship
• the right of citizens to seek and hold public office

Question 13

What is a central reason the government does not appear to respond to the will of the people?

Answer 13

It is not that they fail to listen, but that they are listening all to well to a set of vague(unclear), conflicting, and contradictory preferences( because people will rarely show the same wants, demands, and preferences).

Question 14

Does political freedom guarantee individual liberty? If so what liberties does this include?

Answer 14

Yes, political freedom guarantees individual liberties.

• citizens are free to make their own choices and to select their own goals and means to achieve it
• the right to choose, advocate, or follow different political, social, and economical ideas, paths, and plans.

Question 15

What is political equality, and why is it such a complicated topic? What is focused on in order to balance out the disparity of social and economic wealth? What is done to ensure basic equality?

Answer 15

Political equality means individual preferences pertaining to government are given equal weight. It is a complicated topic though because of its strong ties to social and economic equality. Basically those who are wealth or more socially influential have a better opportunity to participate in politics, which in return can give them more influence breaking the concept of political freedom. If you think about a court case for example, a wealthier individual can afford a great lawyer that went to Harvard while a poor person can only get a state appointed lawyer. It is quite obvious how this is not politically equal.

Political equality is reconciled(fixed) by favoring equality of opportunity rather than focusing on social and economic equality. Equality of opportunity is the idea that it is the right of the people to develop their abilities to the fullest extent. Basically all individuals should have the opportunity to go as far as their desires, talents and efforts allow.

Democracy aims to give individuals the paradoxical right of an equal opportunity to be unequal.

Some believe for this to work, the gov should force equality at the developmental stages ( forced school till 18), but not necessarily after that point.(y can do whatever you want after 18)

Question 16

Could you consider government as a giant balancing act?

Answer 16

Yes. Government is basically a balancing act of political, social, and economical equality that must be achieved by means that correspond with the fundamental policies of democracy.

Question 17

What are the two basic forms of democracy and how are they different? What are some pros and cons of each, and some examples of where and how they have been used? Which form of democracy is considered a liberal democracy and which is called a pure democracy and why? Finally how are they used in the American political system and which one is most prevalent?

Answer 17

Come back to this card… It’s too long…don’t use emojis

Question 18

Voting facts! Roughly, when were white males allowed to vote? White women? And minorities?

Answer 18

White men-1900’s
White women-1920’s
Minorities-1960’s

Question 19

What institutions and operations are important to the success of a representative democracy?

Answer 19

Political parties, elections, and interest groups

Question 20

Does a political system always do what it is supposed to do?

Answer 20

No, there will always be a gap between what a political system is designed to do, and what it actually does.

Question 21

Describe elections and their importance to a representative democracy.

Answer 21

• through elections, representative democracies deliberately create job insecurity for major office holders
• electrons are the central mechanisms for achieving majority rule in representative democracies
• while representatives are typically chosen by plurality, in principle all citizens retain the power to decide whether representatives will continue for another term

Question 22

Describe political parties and their importance to a representative democracy.

Answer 22

• they are an organization that puts forward candidates for public office, at least 2 competing parties must propose candidates
• the party in control of the gov must allow opposition to the party to criticize what current gov leaders are doing and to propose alternative courses of action for the consideration of voters( it must recognize the political freedom of those out of power)
• political parties are the dominant organizing force of American politics: they provide coherence to elections, mobilize voters, and organize the government. Parties typically reflect the difference of Americans rather than bridge them.

Question 23

Describe interest groups and their significance regarding representative democracies.

Answer 23

• a representative democracy must provide for continuous communication between the leaders in government and ordinary citizens
• citizens in a democracy also have the freedom to organize around common interest and communicate those interest to gov
• this leads to the need of an interest groups!!…interest groups aggregate the interest of like minded individuals and organize to press their common views on government decision makers
• these groups are likely to only contain a small proportion of the total population, but they enable elected officials to gain some understanding of how a number of people in a common situation feel about certain matters
• politicians also send proposals to these groups to get feedback
• interest groups vie to influence public policy and if properly working, these groups should check and balance one another’s efforts, and no one group or small collection of groups should dominate the political process

Question 24

What are three common fallacies associated with American democracy? And why do we need to know these fallacies?

Answer 24

1) that democracy promises the best policy decision…no where does it promise to be the most effective, efficient, or fair policy. We usually end up with something we aren’t happy with, but something we can live with. THIS DOESNT MEAN DEMOCRACY FAILED. The whole point of democracy is to broker compromise among competing points of views and arrive at decisions the majority can support and the minority can live with.
2) that democracy boils down to majority rule,that the majority always gets what it wants… In the U.S. The majority has never been given freedom to decide all matters that affect people’s lives. Basically the government responds to the majority, but the majority is limited. Majority will never outrank political freedom or equality.
3) is that social conflict is caused by the institutions of representative democracy and the people who occupy them. Representative institutions reflect rather than cause social conflict. Representative institutions help ensure that the people’s often conflicting views are expressed and dealt with. They are designed not to make these conflicts disappear, but to provide an arena and a set of ground rules where they can clash.

Question 25

What are some common challenges in American democracy?

Answer 25

1) the number one challenge is the vast diversity in backgrounds and interest of American people. The challenge is to manage all these differences with in a democratic framework, to make decisions in a way at endures the rights of all are upheld in both the process and substance of government decision making.
2) how American diversity changes over time
3) the profound effect population growth has on parties…since the number of representatives each state sends to congress is based on population, Population shifts can alter the size of a states congressional delegation.

Question 26

In what direction is power in congress shifting(direction according to states)?

Answer 26

Power is shifting south and west. This means that what Texas wants the government to do is more important than what New York wants the government to do..

Question 27

What is now the largest minority?

Answer 27

Latinos

Question 28

Women only earn about what percent of what men do?

Answer 28

80%

Question 29

What is ideology and why is it important to democracy?

Answer 29

Ideology is a consistent set of views on how government should be.

• it is important in democracy, because it helps people figure out what they do and do not support even on issues they have little knowledge or interest in. A lot of citizens use his to figure their positions on other topics. Ex: gun control, welfare, abortion

Question 30

Compare and contrast liberals and conservatives.

Answer 30

-goes from liberals(left) to conservatives(white)

Conservatives: favor the status quo and want any social or political change to respect the laws and traditions of society. Conservatives typically are more likely to oppose regulatory individual economic choices and more likely to support regulating individual moral choices.

Liberals: believe that individual liberty is the most important political value and that people should be free to express their views and live their lives as they please with minimal limitations from government or traditional views. Liberals regulate economic choices, not individual moral choices.

Question 31

Stats and ideological beliefs…
What percentage of Americans consider themselves moderate, liberal, or conservative? What about republican, democratic, or neither?

Answer 31

Most Americans do not have strong ideological beliefs:
-50% consider themselves moderate or don’t know the term
-27% conservative
-17% liberal
Only 2% consider themselves extreme case for each category

33. 3% republican
34. 3% democrats
35. 3% consider themselves neither

Question 32

What is partisanship and what leads to it?

Answer 32

Partisanship is when people view a party as their “brand” of politics.

This happens because many Americans wed their ideological beliefs to their support for a political party

Question 33

Political parties serve as…

Answer 33

The dominant organizing force of American politics. They provide coherence to elections, mobilize voters, and organize the government. Parties typically reflect the difference of Americans, rather than bridge them.

Question 34

What is a false consensus and why is it dangerous?

Answer 34

A false consensus is when Americans believe their views are “common sense” and there for are shared by many others.

This is a dangerous phenomenon, because if people believe their views are reflected by the majority, and the gov fails to adopt that position, this creates a perception that the democratic system is not working. Or even worse, that someone or something is picking the preference of a minority over the majority, that someone is a special interest.

Basically, there will always be conflict with in democracy and someone who attributes their own views on to others will not like this.

Question 35

What does pluralistic mean and why is it important?

Answer 35

Pluralist is when power is distributed among diverse groups and interest

The American political system is highly pluralistic

Supporters of the pluralistic view feel that Americans democracy serves the interest of a wide variety of individuals and groups, that elites take into account the interest of the people.

Question 36

What are some major criticisms of American democracy?

Answer 36

Keep in mind dissatisfaction is often based on disappointments with the outcomes of the political process

One major criticism is that it is not nearly as pluralistic or inclusive as its supporters claim. Many Americans believe that candidates and office holders are more interested in persuading public attitudes than understanding them or acting on them

Another one is that certain minorities are really under represented( this looks bad for pluralistic ideals)

Finally that parties must take extreme views on subjects in order to create a difference and appeal to certain ideologues(people don’t like this at all because they feel forced into an extreme decision

Question 37

Elitist view vs. pluralistic view

Answer 37

Elitist view-that the political system is dominated by a set of organized, influential interest that are checked by no one. Basically that the elitist set the agenda for American government and taking them on is like taking on the Cowboys

Pluralistic view-that sure some groups may have a little more power than others, but they do not control everything. Eventually they all kind of even out and have a fair distribution of power.