Chapter 11 overview 1
Power, Authority, and Violence
The Transformation of Economic Systems
Types of Government
The U.S. Political System
World Economic Systems
Capitalism in a Global Economy
Who Rules the United States?
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Politics: Establishing Leadership 2
WHY I S T HI S I M P O RT A NT ENO U G H T O G ET ½ O F A C HA P T ER? T O EX I ST : EV ERY SO C I ET Y M U ST H A V E A SY ST EM O F L EA D ERSH I P . SO M E P EO P L E M U ST HA V E P O WER O V ER O T HERS.
Power, Authority and Violence 3
By now… you should know the definition of power Authority:
Coercion:
Legitimate Power
Illegitimate power
Power that people
Power that people do
accept as right
not accept as just
For example: a mugger and a judge all have the power to take $250 from you… what is the difference?
Legitimate Force and the State 4
Weber: The government (also called the State)
claims a monopoly on legitimate force or violence. The State claims both the exclusive right to use
violence and the right to punish everyone else who uses violence. This is a critical point to understand
with politics. If someone owes you $ you can’t take the money by force but the State can. Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Quote of the Day: “VIOLENCE IS THE ULTIMATE FOUNDATION OF ANY POLITICAL ORDER” (BERGER, 1963)
3 types of authority (legitimate power) 6
Traditional Authority –.
Rational-Legal Authority –
Charismatic Authority Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Traditional Authority 7
Authority based on custom We will always know who is next in line
Hallmark of tribal groups Declines with industrialization (but never dies out)
“We’ve always done it this way” Examples: Parents exercise authority over their children Birth into a particular family makes an individual Queen or King Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Rational –Legal Authority 8
Not based on custom but based on written rules We may not know who is next in line, but we know how they will
be elected. Matters that have been agreed to by reasonable people & written
into law. Authority comes from the position someone holds not from the
person. Examples:
Anything Bureaucratic U.S. Presidents, Congress, Senate … Catholic Church and the Pope Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Charismatic Authority 9
A person becomes an authority figure because of his/her outstanding traits
Transfer of authority is problematic
2 ways authority can be transferred:
The authority figure can appoint someone
The authority figure can build an organization out of which comes rational-legal authority; this is referred to as Routinization of Charisma
Charismatic leaders pose a threat to traditional
and rational-legal leaders Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Types of Government 10
Monarchies King &
Queen
Democracies Derived from 2 Greek
words
Dictatorships
Dictatorship=
one person
Early
societies were smaller
Demos= common people Kratos = power
2 Types o Direct
o Representative
Oligarchy=
small group of people
City-state o Idea of citizenship
E.g. Hitler
Democracies (note: we are skipping Monarchies) 11
Historically Athens and Greece practiced democracy Direct Democracy- works well with small size everyone comes together votes publically (think town hall meeting today)
Representative Democracy- You vote for electorates who cast a ballot for President.
Citizenship- MVP: The idea that by virtue of birth
and residence people have basic rights. Universal Citizenship- everyone having the same
basic rights by being born in a country Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Dictatorships and Oligarchies: 12
Characterized by a seizure of Power Dictatorship – Rule by one
Hitler or Saddam Hussein
Oligarchy – Rule by a few o
Military Coops or South Africa (Apartheid)
Dictatorships and Oligarchies are examples of Totalitarianism (total control of people by the government)
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
After the founding of the U.S. many political parties emerged (like the Federalist) however by the time of the Civil War only 2 political parties dominated.
13
REPUBLICANS •OLDER •MIDDLE TO UPPER SOCIAL CLASSES •CONSERVATIVE •LESS GOVERNMENT
DEMOCRATES Younger Minority Groups Women more than men Liberal Working classes More government
Political Parties and Values 14
Although Democrats and Republicans represent
somewhat different philosophical principles, each party represents slightly different slices from the center. Democrats and Republicans agree on fundamental
matters: both support free public education (k-12), strong military, freedom of religion, speech, and assembly, and private ownership of property. Also very few politicians from either party are
advocating to overthrow the government. Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Voting Patterns: Who Votes? 15
Happy reminder: Sociologist don’t care about personal politics… the look at LARGE
groups of people and demographic trends.
By Race: Non-Hispanic Whites & African Americans Most Likely to Vote Latinos Least Likely to Vote By
Education:
College
graduates are almost twice as likely to vote has high school graduates
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Voting Patterns: Who Votes? 16
By Gender: Women are slightly more likely to vote than Men
By Social Class The poor are least likely to vote Greater social integration = more likely to vote
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Who Votes for President?
Pg 290-291
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Voting Patterns: 18
Who do people vote for? By Gender: Political Gender Gap Men are more
likely to favor Republican Women are more likely to vote Democratic By
Race: (in 2004)
African Americans
= 90% Democrat and 10% Republican Whites = 42% Democrat and 58% Republican Latinos = 58% Democrat and 42% Republican Asian Americans = 77% Democrat and 23% Republican
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Who votes for which Party?
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Voting Patterns by Region of U.S. 20
ď ´
See page 289
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Voting Patters: In Conclusion 21
Voting Patterns reflect life experiences (especially
people’s economic conditions) Looking at the big picture- people are fairly
consistent The more people feel they have a stake in the system, the more
likely they are to vote Voter Apathy = Indifference to voting is present in the U.S
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Lobbyist and Special Interest Groups 22
Special Interest Groups: People Who Think Alike on a Particular Issue and Mobilize for Political Action Lobbyists: People Paid to Influence Legislation who work for Special Interest groups
Often times, lobbyists are people who are retired from the government
The main criticism of Special Interest groups and
Lobbyists = THEY BUY VOTES Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Political Action Committees (PAC’s) 23
Organizations that solicit contributions from many
donors- each contribution being within the legal limit PAC’s are formed to solicited contributions from many
and then use that large amount of $$$ to influence legislation Most PACs Stand for Financial Interests of Specific
Groups
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Take a look at how Lobbyists & PAC’s Work 24
Top 100 Companies and Organizations for
Lobbying
Altria Group
Video Clips Thank you for smoking
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
So… who actually rules the U.S.? 25
B A C K T O O U R 3 T HEO RI ES A ND SO M E D EA D WHI T E D U D ES…
Functional Analysis 26
Pluralism = Diffusion of power among many Prevents any group from gaining too much control Government (or State) was created out of the basic needs
of the social group Believes that the U.S. is ruled by many different groups There is a check and balance between the main branches
of the government: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive
(school house rock video clip) Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Conflict Theory
Remember my crazy glasses from last week?
27
The Power Elite (C. Wright Mills) rule the government The Power Elite are made up of top governmental
officials, heads of the military, and CEO’s of large corporations Information gets passed along to the members of this
group No major decisions get made without their approval
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
War 29
WAR AND TERRORISM ARE TOOLS USED TO TRY AND ACCOMPLISH POLITICAL GOALS AN ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE STATE IS THAT IT CLAIMS A MONOPOLY ON VIOLENCE.
“VIOLENCE IS THE ULTIMATE FOUNDATION OF ANY POLITICAL ORDER” (BERGER, 1963)
War and Terrorism 30
Three Essential Conditions of War (Nicholas Timasheff) 1. Antagonistic Situation – Two or more states confront
incompatible objectives 2. Cultural Tradition of War – Leaders of a group see war as
an option for dealing with serious disputes with other nations 3. Fuel – Heats the antagonistic situation to a boiling point
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
31
ď ´
Why do Nations Go to War?
1.Revenge 2.Power 3.Prestige 4.Unity 5.Position 6.Ethnicity 7.Beliefs
Cost of War and Terrorism 32
Cost of War Moral Cost Breeds Callousness and Cruelty Neutralization Techniques: Characterization of Struggle Between Good and Evil Dehumanization- the process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve to be treated as humans Terrorism - Use of Violence to create fear in an effort to
bring about political objectives
Most often used by weaker groups to attack more powerful groups Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Suicide Terrorist 33
We hold assumptions about people who are suicide
bombers. Common stereotypes include: poverty, loners/ have no family and uneducated. Using CIA data Marc Sageman found these are not true.
Many are middle/upper class, 90% with families, 73% married, and 63% had gone to college. Four steps that many terrorist went through:
Moral outrage Ideology (interpreted moral outrage with radical militant interpretation of Islamic teaching Shared outrage and ideology (like-minded people) Group decision Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Economy 34
ECONOMY – OUR SYSTEM OF PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING GOODS AND SERVICES. HOW DOES THE BIG PICTURE AFFECT YOUR CHANCES TO GET A JOB?
A little History: Transformation of Economic Systems 35
Preindustrial Societies: Birth of Inequality Industrial Societies: Birth of the Machine Post industrial societies: Birth of Information Age Biotech Societies: Merger of Biology and Economics
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Preindustrial and Industrial Societies 36
Preindustrial = Subsistence Economy Hunting and Gathering Societies Pastoral and Horticultural Societies Agricultural Societies Industrial Societies: Birth of the Machine Brought Previously Unseen Surpluses Factories Exploited Labor More Efficient Machines Led to Conspicuous Consumption
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Postindustrial and Biotech 37
Postindustrial Societies: Birth of Information Age Service Sector Vast Surplus of Goods Extensive Trade among Nations Wider Variety and Quantity of Goods Information Explosion Biotech: Marriage of biology and economics Deciphering of human genome Genetically engineered crops Greater inequality between rich and poor nations
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Figure 11.3 The Revolutionary Change in the U.S. Workforce
How stuff has changed ?
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
World Economic Systems 39
Capitalism: Three components Private Ownership of Means of Production Market Competition Pursuit of Profit
Laissez-Faire Capitalism – Government is not
involved in decision making Welfare or State Capitalism – Individuals have
certain rights but are overseen by the government – this is the U.S. economy Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
World Economic Systems 40
Socialism - Three components: Public
Ownership of Means of Production Central Planning Distribution of Goods without Profit Motive Needs are Decided by Central Committee Designed to Eliminate Competition Everyone Works for the Government
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Compare Ideologies (Belief Systems) 41
Capitalist Market forces should
determine both products and prices Profits are good for
humanity Believe socialist violate
basic human right of freedom of decision and opportunity
Socialist Profit is immoral Marx- item’s value is based on
the work that goes into itonly way to have profit is to pay the worker less than the value of their labor Believe capitalist violate basic
human right of freedom from poverty.
Criticisms 42
Capitalism
Socialism
Leads to Social Inequality
Does not Respect
Individual Rights Tiny Top Layer Exploits
Vast Bottom Layer Few Who Own the Means
of Production Reap Huge Profits
Others Control People’s
Lives Give Everyone an Equal
Chance to be Poor
Convergence of Capitalism & Socialism 43
Capitalism and socialism are growing similar As nations industrialize they start to look very
similar. For example China (where making a profit used to
be illegal).
“Capunism” = capitalist joined with the Community party
Changed in capitalism also support this idea: Unemployment benefits, subsidized housing, minimum wage, social security Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Capitalism in a Global Economy 44
Corporation – is a business that is treated legally as a
person. A corporation
can make contracts, incur debt, sue, and be sued
Corporate Capitalism – a term that indicates how
corporations have come to dominate the economy Multinational corporations- corporations that operate
across national boarders. Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Characteristics of Corporate Capitalism 45
Separation of Ownership and Management Corporations have Outgrown National Boundaries
Corporations have become More Detached from Interests and
Values of Country of Origin Corporations have Become a Powerful Political Force
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Ominous Trends in the U.S. 46
Globalization of Capitalism is bringing many changes: Stagnant Paychecks – The U.S. worker is making more
today but because of inflation he/she is taking less home Jobs have been outsourced outside of the U.S. and many
U.S. workers have lost their jobs Global superclass- leaders of top multi-national
corporations have extreme wealth and power Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy
Figure 11.4: Stagnant Pay Check Average Hourly Earnings of U.S. Workers in Current and Constant Dollars
Politics Politicsand andthe theEconomy Economy