GOV LECTURE 1 14 What Americans think about government o Americans expect a lot from their government Keep us safe yet protect individual liberty privacy Support the weakest yet keep taxes low Sustain a healthy environment still promote business growth Keep government small yet handle each crisis quickly effectively Citizen core beliefs o If Americans do not share a common bloodline or religious or ethnic heritage what unites the nation Liberty Equality Democracy Citizenship knowledge participation o Citizenship informed active membership in a political community Aware of the facts what can be done about a situation What Americans think about government o Political efficacy perception that one has the ability to influence government politics Increasing percentage of citizens thinking their representatives don t care what constituents think Government o Institutions procedures through which a territory its people are ruled Determines policies their enforcement Government is power Consent to allow the government to govern us Order thriving economy Government was very limited until 1930s Expanding Government o Dirty Thirties period of sever dust storms 1934 1939 damaged the ecology agriculture o Great Depression Types of Government o Democracy supported by a majority of the populace Citizens participate in government process Direct or indirect we are indirect Oligarchy small group not accountable to its citizens o No formal restraints Russia Autocracy government by a single leader o China Saudi Arabia Sudan Components of Government o Authoritarian restrained by social institutions Unquestioning obedience No efficacy no voting o Constitutional constitution restrains government o Formal effective limits o Totalitarian nationalistic o No formal limits o Controls all aspects of public private life o First developed in 1920 Hitler GOV LECTURE 1 16 Characteristics of Democracy o Only 45 of the global population o Protected individual rights freedoms o Parliament of Congress o Diverse interest represented by state o Elect our officials political participation Democracy political participation o Political Participation Politics conflict over leadership structure policies of government Direct democracy citizens vote directly on laws policies Representative democracy select representatives Rely on groups representatives Pluralism theory that all interests are should be free to compete for influence in the government Output compromise moderation Struggle among interests Liberty o Freedom from governmental control Personal freedom Economic freedom Equality o Equality of outcome o Equality of opportunity o Political equality o Direct Action Politics