I. Political Culture – a collection of beliefs and attitudes toward government and the political process held by a community or nation
a. symbolic elements –
b. ideas – the belief that one is innocent until proven guilty
c. deeply held values – equality, liberty, and the right to hold property
1. equality
2. liberty –
3. Property
Alexis De Tocqueville
a. arrived in the U.S. in May 1831 and departed in Feb. 1832
b. U.S. in the 1830’s –
1. Jacksonian Democracy in full swing
2. Widespread belief in the myth that equality insured freedom and democracy insured liberty. Source of the myth in the writings of Jefferson (Declaration of Independence)
“all men are created equal”. Jeffersonians were not egalitarian in outlook. Believed in government of and for the people but not by the people. Old school ideas.
3. Jacksonian democracy ushered in new theme – shift of power from older aristocracy of the educated, well-positioned, and wealthy to the common man.
c. He and his partner Gustave De Beaumont were here to study the prison system but their real interest was in the success of democracy in the U.S.
d. Observations of De Tocqueville –
1. “The people reign in the American political world as the Deity does in the Universe”
2. “ I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America” - He questioned whether Americans desire for liberty and individual differences could survive their other desires for equality and democracy. As conditions became more equal, Americans seemed more and more to take pride not in individuality, personal liberties, and freedom, but rather in their sameness. (Every citizen becomes lost in the crowd.) Equality and democracy pushed aside liberty and freedom and became a tyranny over the minds of men.
3. Advantages of American democracy-
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III.
Key elements of
political culture:
a. liberty
b. individualism
c. equality of opportunity
d. democracy
e. civic duty
IV. Gabriel Almond and Sidney Nie 1959-60 study – found Americans scored especially high in their sense of civic duty and in political efficacy
a. political efficacy – the belief that one can affect government policies or that government takes citizens opinons into account in making decisions.
1. internal efficacy
2. external efficacy
b. Americans more likely to distrust government today but are still loyal to the country and its beliefs and policies
V.
Sources of American
political culture:
· The American Revolution
· The absence of an official religion
· Dominance of Protestantism – participant culture
· Egalitarian American family structure
· Absence of class consciousness
· Levels of trust in government have dropped – Watergate, Vietnam…
· Rose again during the Reagan adminstration
· Fell during the Clinton adminstration
· Americans still more tolerant of unpopular ideas, individuals, and groups in the abstract than in reality. Seldom act on our beliefs and cannot agree on which groups etc. should not be tolerated, so most are.
VII. The Culture War – Though almost all Americans share the same BASIC beliefs, there is still tremendous cultural conflict in American politics.
a. orthodox side –
1. orthodox members – conservative members of fundamentalist Protestant churches and other born-again Christians.
2. Critics often dismiss them as the “religious right”
b. progressive side –
a. ongoing process of acquiring information, attitudes and values
b. helps to comprehend political system
c. development of political socialization:
· beginnings – 3-4 yrs. Old
· childhood –
· adolescence -
· adulthood
· old age
d. complications – each generation will experience some
· Civil War
· Great Depression
· Watergate and Vietnam
· Clinton Impeachment
e. Since 1960’s people less affected by single events than by general movement away from party orientation. Trend seems to be toward disconnection from politics.
· Political campaigns – shift away from party, candidate oriented.
a. Kurt Lewin – psychologist
1. B = f (PE)
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· Bottom line:
· The Cognitive Map – method of looking at the world
· Perception –
· Conceptualization -
· Affect –
· All people belong to many groups – sex, age, race, etc.
· Some are also interest groups – members conscious of shared characteristics and have common goals which then directs their behavior
· Two types of groups:
a. primary –
b. categoric –
· Most Influential Groups
a. family and ethnic group
b. friends and age group
c. religious group
d. school friends and teachers
e. work associates and occupational groups
f. neighbors, income groups, and social classes
· Sources of pressure on the individual –
a. group connections limit exposure to other ideas
b. desire for acceptance from the group
c. will not want to risk losing the association with the group
· How pressure is applied
a. communication among members with no official leadership position
b. strength of pressure depends on the importance of the group to the individual being pressured, and the number and strength of counter pressures
· Impact of Membership – depends on:
a. importance to the individual
b. perceived political relevance
c. transmission of group’s political standards
Ideology – a comprehensive and logically ordered set of beliefs about the nature of people and about the institutions and role of government.
· American politics is dominated by two relatively moderate ideological positions:
a. Liberalism – a set of beliefs that includes the advocacy of positive government action to improve the welfare of individuals, support for civil rights, and tolerance for political and social change. Roots of modern liberalism lie in Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.
Liberal beliefs:
· Government should take strong positive action to solve the nation’s economic and social problems.
· It is the obligation of government to enhance opportunities for the economic and social equality of all individuals
· Support programs to reduce poverty and endorse taxation to redistribute income from wealthier classes to the poorer
· Rely on government regulation to guide the activities of business and the economy
· Support wider tolerance of different life choices and oppose government attempts to regulate personal behavior and morals
· More tolerant of social change
· Oppose government actions that threaten to deprive people of their basic personal and political freedoms, particularly in their right to deviate from social norms and to oppose government policies.
· Tend to favor policies of accommodation and reject the threat of force as an instrument of diplomacy
· Views on the issues: pro-women’s rights position, pro-civil rights position, opposition to increased defense spending, support for some form of universal health care or managed private care
· Types of Liberals:
1. New Deal Liberals –
2. Social or Peace liberals –
b. Conservatism – a set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government in helping individuals, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change. Roots of conservatism lie in the political thinking of John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. Have more pessimistic view of human nature than do liberals.
Conservative beliefs:
· The private sector can out perform the government in almost any activity. Fear government involvement most in the economic sphere.
· Individual is primarily responsible for his or her own well-being, therefore are less supportive of government initiatives to redistribute income or to craft programs that will change the status of individuals. More willing to accept economic and social inequalities as natural consequences of the human condition
· Approve of more government regulation of social values and moral decisions of individuals.
· Views on issues: Private sector needs less government intervention, social-welfare programs should be limited, state and local governments make their own decisions without government interference, government regulation of morals and values acceptable because of grave concern about the decline of family values, not tolerant of gay rights laws, or affirmative action programs.
· The New Right – emerged in the 1980’s; sometimes called the ultra-conservatism, or even the Radical Right, Christian Coalition and Moral Majority
Beliefs: backed an aggressive effort to combat international communism, especially in Central America, return to organized prayer in schools, oppose gay rights issues, lobby for what they consider pro-family legislation, strongly anti-abortion
· Neo-Conservatives – many are former democrats who left the party over Vietnam, busing, and civil rights decisions of the Warren Court. Favor large military expenditures, are suspicious of the intentions of other governments, the death penalty, are more worried about crime than the homeless, tend to be supply-side economic policy supporters
c. Good indication of the views of liberals and conservatives presented in the themes of the two ideologies during the 1992 and 1996 presidential campaigns.
1. Conservatives (Republicans) argued for less government, wrapping themselves in the symbols of nationalism and patriotism , and took a strong stand in favor of business, the death penalty, and prayer in schools, all issues popular with most voters.
2. Liberals, on the other hand wrapped themselves in the symbols of compassion, fairness, equality, and social justice, also popular issues.
d. Americans tend to be moderate in views and may not accept the full range of either liberal or conservative ideology.
· Not unusual for Americans to be quite liberal on economic issues and supportive of considerable government intervention in the economy while holding conservative views on moral and social issues.
e. Other ideological groups in the U.S.
· Other groups play minor role: communists, socialists, libertarians
· Many parties will be represented in the list of those running for President.
· Socialism – based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange. Marx described it as the transitional stage between capitalism and communism. Under capitalism, the means of production and most of the property are privately owned. In communist or socialist systems property is “owned” by the state in common for all the people. In the ultimate socialist system, justice is achieved by having participants determine their own needs and take what is appropriate from the common product of society.
American socialists beliefs: greatly expanded government role, including the nationalization of certain industries, public jobs programs, much steeper tax burden on the wealthy. Want to help the underdog by means of income redistribution programs. Would also drastically cut defense spending.
· Libertarianism – emphasizes individual liberty and sharply limited government. Carries some overtones of anarchism. Has gained a modest following among those who believe that both liberals and conservatives lack consistency in their attitudes toward the national government.
Beliefs: oppose government and all its programs, favor massive cuts in government spending, an end to the FBI, CIA, and most regulatory commissions; favor eliminating all government programs not only for the poor but for business as well. Would repeal all laws that regulate personal morality including abortion, pornography, prostitution, and recreational drugs.
Has had a candidate on the ballot in all 50 states in recent elections but never gained more than 1% of the vote.