UNIT 1: FOUNDATIONS OF GOVERNMENT U.S.

GOVERNMENT | JULIAN

Chapter 1 Politics and Government
What is Government?
Politics is defined by Harold Lasswell as, Who gets what, when, and how? in a society. The authors of
the text define politics as the struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups
that can grant or withhold benefits or privileges. Conflict is always present in society because of three
major reasons: the differences of belief or ideology; the differences in the perceived goals of the society;
and scarce resources exist, and not every want can be satisfied by society. Government is the institution
that resolves conflicts and allocates benefits and privileges.
Why is Government Necessary?
The situation in Somalia since 1991 and the current situation in Iraq show the importance of the
government to provide order for normal life to exist. Order must be tempered with liberty for
democratic values to exist. An institution requires authority, legitimacy, and power in order to
accomplish its purpose. Authority is the feature of a leader or institution that compels obedience.
Usually this obedience is the result of legitimacy. Legitimacy is the status conferred by the people on the
officials, acts, and institutions of the government. The people believe the actions taken are legal and
right. Power is the ability to cause others to modify their behavior and to conform to what the power
holder wants. To sum up, authority is the legal use of power.
The Purposes of Government
Government is the legitimate use of force to control human behavior. Throughout history, government
has served three major purposes: (1) maintaining order, including preserving life and protecting
property, (2) providing public goods, and (3) promoting equality.
Maintaining order, the first purpose, is the oldest and least-contended purpose of government. Most
would agree with Thomas Hobbes that the security of civil society is preferable to life in a warlike state
of nature. But the question of whether or not maintaining order requires the government to infringe
upon an individuals personal freedom is a tough one to answer. The second purposeproviding public
goodsleads to questions of just what goods the government ought to provide.
Over the years, the scope of American government has expanded considerably, as the government has
assumed greater responsibility for providing an array of social benefits. The third purpose of
governmentpromoting equalityis the newest and probably most controversial purpose of
government today. It raises issues about the extent of the governments role in redistributing wealth,
regulating social behavior, and providing opportunities.
Two Dilemmas of Government
Two major dilemmas confront the government today. The first one, the original dilemma, involves
tradeoffs between freedom and order. How much freedom are people willing to give up to achieve
complete safety? How much insecurity are we willing to tolerate to preserve our personal freedom?
The second one, the modern dilemma, deals with the balance between freedom and equality. Should
government act to promote equal access by women and African Americans to high-paying jobs, even
though this restricts the freedom of their employers?
Democracy and Other Forms of Government
A fundamental question of politics has to do with who makes political decisions for a society.
Totalitarianism is when a small group or a single individual makes all political decisions for the society.
UNIT 1: FOUNDATIONS OF GOVERNMENT U.S. GOVERNMENT | JULIAN

Aristocracy refers to decisions made by the best suited in terms of wealth, education, intelligence, and
family prestige. In a Democracy, the majority of people make decisions. Direct Democracy is when
people make decisions in person, like the New England town meeting. A possible danger of this form of
democracy can be mob rule, in which the majority abuses the rights of minority groups. This danger has
led our society to create a Democratic Republic, in which representatives are elected by the people to
make and enforce laws. The three principles essential for democratic government in our society are
universal suffrage, the right of all adults to vote for representatives; majority rule with the protection of
minority rights; and limited government, in which the authority of government is limited by a written
document or widely held beliefs.
What Kind of Democracy Do We Have?
Elite theory suggests that society is ruled by a small number of wealthy people who exercise power in
their self-interest. The primary goal of such a society is stability because elites do not want to see any
change in their status. Pluralism theory proposes that conflict in society is among interest groups.
Bargaining and compromise among groups determine political decision-making. It has been suggested
that interest groups can become so powerful that the society is virtually paralyzed by the struggle
between them. This concept is referred to as hyperpluarlism theory.
Fundamental Values
Political culture can be defined as a patterned set of ideas, values, and ways of thinking about
government and politics. The process by which such beliefs and values are transmitted to immigrants
and our children is called political socialization. The fundamental values of the American political
culture can be defined as: liberty, the greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the
freedom of other individuals in society; equality, all people are of equal worth; and property, the right of
individual ownership. While limited government is traditionally embraced by most Americans, events
such as Hurricane Katrina demonstrate that many of those same Americans expect government to play
an active and involved role in certain circumstances.
Political Ideologies
Ideology can be defined as a comprehensive and logical set of beliefs about the nature of people and
about the institutions and role of government. American ideology has been dominated by two
ideologies. Liberalism is the belief that includes support of positive government action to improve the
welfare of individuals, support civil rights, and bring about political and social change. Conservatism is
the belief that includes advocacy of a limited role for government helping individuals, support for
traditional values, and a cautious response to change. The four-cornered grid provides a more
sophisticated view of four possible ideologies. Totalitarian ideologies have provided the major challenge
to American values, with the latest being Islamic totalitarianism.
The Changing Face of America
The context of American society is changing as Americans age, become more diverse, and need new
laws and policies. An aging society, combined with low birth rates, has important implications for
retirement and pension systems, including Social Security. The shrinking of the younger population is a
worldwide event in developed countries. Hispanics, African Americans, and Asian Americans have
become a larger proportion of the United States population because of higher birth rates and
immigration increases. Other trends reveal that over 58% of women were working outside the home.
Today, 25% of children live in one-parent households. National surveys have found about 80% of all
adults are high school graduates. Abortion has become more of a major political and social issue.