文档介绍：Chapter One
The Foundations of American Government
What is Politics?
The struggle or process that people engage in to decide which members of society get certain benefits or privileges and which members of society are excluded from benefits or privileges
What is Government?
An institution, or anization with a life over and above the lives of the individuals who are part of it at any given moment in time
The institution within which decisions are made that resolve conflicts or allocate benefits and privileges
Why Do We Need Government?
Security
Order
Types of Government
Totalitarian regime – rule by a small group or an individual dictator
Authoritarianism – only the government (not social and economic institutions) are fully controlled by the ruler
Oligarchy – rule by a few elites, who make decisions to benefit their own group
Aristocracy – initially rule by the best suited, which meant the wealthy, later it meant titled nobility
Democracy – political power is vested in the people
Direct democracy – when citizens vote directly on laws
What Kind of Democracy Do We Have?
Majoritarianism – the political theory that, in a democracy, the government should do what the majority of the people want
Elite theory – the idea that society is ruled by a small group who exercise power in their self-interest
Pluralism – a theory that views politics as conflict among interest groups, where decisions are made through bargaining promise
Fundamental Values
Liberty versus Order
Economic equality versus the Right to Property
Ideology
A closely linked set of beliefs about the goal of politics and the most desirable political order
Liberalism advocates government action to improve the welfare of individuals, support for civil rights and tolerance for social change
Conservatism advocates a limited role for the government in helping individuals and support for traditional values and lifestyles
Table 1-1: The Traditional Political Spectrum
Socialism
Liberalism
Conservatism