U3/U4 Flashcards
What is political ideologies concerned with?
How power is distributed!
Define social contract
- Agreement between the governing and the governed
- Rights given up by individuals for the benefit of the collective
- DETERMINES THE POLITICAL SYSTEM
Political system
Defines who has power and how it is used in society
Power
Ability to ACHIEVE what is desired (Coercive, Charismatic, Rational-Legal)
Principal issue of political spectrum
How much freedom do the people have
authoritarianism
concentrates power in the hands of a leader or a small
elite
not constitutionally responsible to the people
Democracy
Where people have the ability to deliberate and decide legislation (governance by the masses)
Role of majority and minority in democratic system?
Majority rules but respect for minority rights <3
Closest example of direct democracy
- Athens with their lottery system
- Constant referendums
- ADULT MALE citizens w property could vote
- Positions filled by lottery
- Specialized positions (military) filled by vote
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
- The Iroquois people has a sort of supranational org to protect all the tribes
- each clan had own Cheif and dealt w own issues, but fought for collective when needed
- Unanimity required in votes
How did the Enlightenment lead to political liberalism?
- Divine right of kings was questioned bc of rationalism and empiricism
- Reformation led to democratization of scripture
- Renaissance and Humanism led to significance of the person rather than collective
LOCKE:
- Catchphrase
- State of Nature
- Social contract !!
- Rule of Law
-Govt must protect life, liberty, property
-Tabula rasa (born neutral)
-Give in rights to hurt others in order to be part of society!
BUT YOU HAVE RIGHT TO REVOLUTION
-govt must be accountable to the masses
ROUSSEAU
- Catchphrase
- State of Nature
- Social contract !!
- Thoughts on democracy
- Protect general will
- Naturally good and state of abundance
- Govt must be a representation of general will/direct democracy
- Like SLAVERY
4 Basis of Political Liberalism
- consent of governed
- Decentralized government (serve society, not lorde over it)
- Equality (Rule of Law)
- Rights and Freedoms (dissent, criticize, religious, private property)
French Revolution
- why
- Importance
- Philosophers
- Result
- INEQUALITY/UNFAIR POLITICS/King was too absolute
- Led to respect of rights and freedoms for all
- Locke and Rousseau
- Declaration of rights and freedoms of Man
Declaration of rights and Man
- law meant to preserve life liberty property
- govt must represent general will
- free and equal rights
Oldest modern day democracy
America! NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
Edmund Burke
Classical conservatism
Burkes philosophy + why conservative
criticized french rev, bc the kings institutions have long been tried and tested, without new solutions, feared devolution into dictatorships
Burkes ideas of change, values (4)
Should spontaneously arise from natural growth not DELIBERATION,
CUSTON, CONVENTION, TRADITION, SOCIAL TIES
Which philosopher was Burke Like?
HOBBES
both valued a strong leader, traiditon, and maintenance of the status quo
Issue with classical liberalism and democracy
Who gets to vote? Who has property?
John adams and ben frank were scaqred that if everyone could vote it would be hyper equality, taxation on rich ONLY
Classical liberalism and universal suffrage
DID not offer it, suffrage=property rights,
Universal suffrage
right to vote for all adult citizens, regardless
Suffragette
MILITANT
Womens org in britain who wanted voting rights
civil disobedience to make a spectacle to vote
DIRECT vs REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
- referendums vs. representatives
- ordinary citiens have direct say vs majority rules
- challenging with large pops vs more organized
characteristics of rep democracy
- rep by pop
- periodic elections
- independant judiciary
- pol parties
- lobbyists
- secret ballots
- power of purse
power of purse
ability to tax and spend public money for the national government.
Rep by pop
CRITICISM
seats in legislature alloted based on pop
all votes counted equally
HEAVILY POP REGIONS=MORE VOTES
Montesquieu
- crux
- state of nature
- proposal
Separation of Powers! NO CENTRALIZED POWERS
- hobbesian, people naturally greedy selfish
- Many branches could check each other, LEGISLATIVE EXECUTIVE JUDICIAL
LEG EXEC JUD
MAKE LAWS
ENFORCE LAWS
JUDGE DISPUTE
LEG EXEC JUD driving scenario
made laws, pulls u over, judges validity of crime
checks nd balances
Legislative- can impeach president and judges
Exec- veto legislation nominate judges
Judiciary- declares pres acts and bills unconstitutional
FPTP
most votes is the winner of the seat. The losing party or
parties win no representation at all (winner take all, does not require majority)
Artificial majority
when party gets more votes than popular vote bc seats are given based on who had most votes (not necessarily who had 50% +)
machiavelli
hard to be effecitve when too focused on kindness
criminal virtue
rather be loved or feared
machiavelli
hard to be effecitve when too focused on kindness
criminal virtue
rather be loved or feared
authoritarianism vs totalitarianism
political control in one person (russia today monarchy, milkitary dicts)
political control and social contorl of society! (ussr and nazi)
Fascism
- name
- position on spectrum
- coll or indiv
- do govts close pol or econ
- POL ECON SPECTRUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
- Fascio : bundle of sticks we connected and strong
- form of far right authoritatian// strong regiment of society!!!!! supress opps and stay with past
- COLECTIVISM!
- politics!, allow some private op
- CAPITALISM +GOVT CONTROL
Arguments for fascism
- Democracy sucks bc indecisive (parties undo what others did)
- So SLOW! you need to work with other parties to get tasks done
Why is fascism more about conservatism as opposed to liberalism
because they wanna stay with the past not overthrow govt
why did democracy fail in the weimar republic
- versailles treaty made harsh demands
- hyperinflation
- people loved hitler and consolidated power
- created a militant and disciplined society
- used propoganda!
FASCISM GOAL
ULTRANATIONALISM/ HELP MAJORITY BY OPRESSING MINORITIES!
Carl Schmitts critiques of liberalism 3
- fails to give people a united goal
- doesnt protect citizenru
- lie to ourselves (every important deciison is through emergenices act)
Dekulakization in ussr
Ukrainian ‘kulaks’ were
targeted for their farmland and grain production.
The term ‘kulak’ became a derogatory term for
successful farmers, used as a scapegoat for
insufficient food production.
iron curtain
political, military, and
ideological barrier erected by the Soviet Union
after World War II to seal off itself and its
dependent eastern and central European allies
from open contact with the West and other
noncommunist areas.
john rawls experiment
veil of ignorance- if your economic, political and social staus was to be randomly deicded, what sort of society would you be born into?
Veil of ignorance
- THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IF U WORK HARD ENOUGH IS VAPID
- If you could be placed anywhere in society what would youneed?
- EGALITARIAN SOCIETY! Good education, healthcare, police, housing
utilitarian
- rules &
actions that provide
maximum net utility
(benefit) to society
Rational empirical theory of morality!
Utilitarianism nethappiness= gross happines-gross pain
Rational empirical theory of morality!
Utilitarianism nethappiness= gross happines-gross pain
act vs rule utilitarian
do what you want to minimize pain!!!
FOLLOW THE RULES TO MINIMIZE PAIN (Long term standard)
diminshing marginal utility
the more you give someone the less happy they will be
absolute equality
practical equality
everyone gets the same! full equality the rich would stop making such an effort
get as close as possible but DO NOT endangeer econmy
John Stuart Mill
- utilitarianism + liberalism
- freedom of thought speech
- opressing IS WRONG EVEN AN OPINION IS WRONG!
- Conformity is not it! eccentiricty is vibes and necessary
tyranny of the majority
If a majority is in power than what limtis them to hurt the minority
Harm Principle
people should be free to act however they wish unless their actions cause harm to somebody else.
How are humans free according to mill?
- though and speech (say what you want, even if opinions of dissent bc ideas of truth opress the truth! galilleo and scientists)
- pursue taste (individuality and eccentricity is necessary)
- unite
Mill supporter of women
WOMENS SUFFRAGE
Whos ideas compose modern political liberalism
JOHN STUART MILL
Negative right
Positive right
- absence of force/restriction (freedom of speech etc)
- govt actively taking steps to ensure equality of opportunity for all
Illiberalism
Soceity that promises liberal ideas (persoanl freedom, equality, dectralized govt, consent of governed) BUT SOMETIMES/ ALWAYS IGNORES THESE KEY IDEAS
Why would a country violate poliices of liberalism
What does the social contract determine?
the political system
reo by pop criticism-
more populous regions have more say in the govenrment
Electoral system usa:
Each state gets a number of representatives called the ‘electoral college’. Individual
citizens in that state get to vote, and the outcome of that vote will determine how the
electoral college will vote on behalf of that state
‘all or nothing’ system,
FILIBUSTER:
a. Deliberately stalling the voting on a bill to prevent it from passing (60% rule in the
Senate, or extending a debate where anyone can speak for as long as they want
until the session ends, preventing voting from happening)
PR:
FLAW/ex
all the votes across the country are added
up and each party is awarded a number of seats in proportion to the percentage of
the popular vote they received
FLAW: MINORITY GOV (WEIMER)
haudenosenee confederacy important cuz:
model of federalism and int org
Caucus meetings
i. Meetings of MPs where they are able to debate and challenge ideas, as
Caucus meetings are private (behind closed doors)
what is modern pol liberalism?
utilitarianism and Liberalism
importance of schmitt:
influential on the infiltration of china over HK
Why does china prefer schmitt to marx?
because instead of being rooted in the old ideas of class struggle ,focused on nationalisma dn common external enemies
what did mill create in response to benthams acceptance of the ‘tyranny of the majority’:
HARM PRINICPLE
rousseau social contract
contract rooted in the idea that masses give in some rights and freedoms for harmony, and reflects general will.
war measures act:
federal law that
gave the Canadian government extra powers
during times of war; Cabinet power to pass laws and regulations
without going through Parliamen (only excecutive
criticism of demoracy:
- indecisive: one govt undoes others!
- slowness: co-operation is necessary for success and parties dont cooperate easily
- lie: you have to subvert rights to get things done!
- no identity
hololdomr:
mass starvation of ukrainians for rapid urban industrialization of ussr
fasccism on pol spectrum:
communism on pol spectrum:
right end
left end
hitler enabling acct:
Reichstag to transfer its lawmaking powers to him.
why did people love hitler:
- fear mongering
- propoganda
- charismatic
fascism goa
l Fascism is designed to help the majority of the
population by brutally repressing everyone else.
Gerrymandering
redrawing distrct lines to get more votes
Authoritarian vs illiberal dem
Authoritarain: openly authoritarian
illiberal: created on democratic foundation but subverts democratic principles
