CH 10 POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY 10 1 Politics and Government Politics the distribution and exercise of power within a society Polity the political institution by which power is distributed and exercised o Decisions in any society must be made regarding the allocation of resources and other matters Specific organizations and specific people make these decisions Sometimes decisions are made to solely benefit a certain person and sometimes they are made to benefit the society Power is essential to politics Power and authority Power the ability to have ones own will carried out despite the resistance of others o raw power ex a cop driving behind you makes you automatically obey all driving rules o parental power curfews be home by a certain time or else o misuse of power bullying Legitimate Power distinguished by Weber power whose use is considered just and appropriate by those over whom the power is exercised o if a society approves the use of power in a certain way then that power is considered legitimate Weber also stated that there were specific types of legitimate power that characterize different types of societies as they evolve from simple to complex societies They are 1 traditional authority 2 rational legal authority and 3 charismatic authority Traditional Authority power that is rooted in traditional long standing beliefs and practices in a society Comes from CUSTOM and TRADITION o it exists and is assigned to particular individuals because of that society s customs and traditions o People enjoy traditional authority for 2 reasons 1 Inheritance certain people are granted traditional authority because they are children or relatives of people who already exercise it 2 Religion their societies believe that they are anointed by a god depending on the societies beliefs to lead their society o T a is common in many preindustrial societies where tradition and custom is so important o Also common in monarchies where a king or queen enjoys power because they come from a royal family o T A is granted to individuals regardless of their qualifications They don t have to have any special skills to wield their power because their claim to it is based solely on their bloodline Rational Legal Authority derives from law and is based on a belief in the legitimacy of a society s laws and rules and in the right of these leaders to act under these rules to make decisions and set policy o is a hallmark of modern democracies where power is given to people elected by voters and the rules for wielding their power are set in a constitution or book of rules o Whereas traditional authority resides in an individual because of inheritance or divine designation rational legal authority resides in the office that an individual fills not in the individual per se o Helps ensure a an orderly transfer of power in a time of crisis is stable Charismatic Authority stems from an individual s extraordinary personal qualities and from their hold over followers because of these qualities o Leaders can control a whole society or a specific group within a society o Can exercise authority for good or bad o Examples of charismatic leaders Joan of Arc Adolf Hitler Mahatma Gandhi Martin Luther King Jr Jesus Christ Muhammad and Buddha o Weber emphasized that charismatic authority is less stable than traditional or rational legal authority BECAUSE when charismatic leaders die their authority dies as well o Charismatic authority can reside in those who come into a position of leadership from traditional or rational legal authority TYPES OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS State the political unit within which power and authority reside Can be a nation or subdivision of a nation Government the group of people who direct the political affairs of a state the type of rule o The type of government under which people live has fundamental implications for their freedom their welfare and even their lives Democracy citizens govern themselves either directly or indirectly by the ppl for the ppl Monarchy power resides in a single family that rules from one gen to the next o Direct democracies people make their own decisions about the policies distribution of resources that affect them directly Ex people meeting once a year to vote on budgetary and other matters Is impractical when population is over a few hundred o Representative Dem people elect officials to represent them in legislative votes on matters affecting the population o Voting in elections democracy is the most free form of govt The freest nations are found in North America Western Europe and certain other parts of the world while the least free lie in Asia the Middle East and Africa o the power the family enjoys is traditional authority and monarchs demand respect because their subjects bestow this authority upon them o Absolute monarchies the royal family claims a diving right to rule and exercises considerable power over their kingdom Gave way to constitutional monarchies o Constitutional mon the royal family serves a symbolic ceremonial role Little power Instead the executive and legislative branches of government the prime minister and parliament in several nations run the government Constitutional monarchies today Sweden Denmark Norway Spain Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism nondemocratic systems ruled by an individual or groups of individuals who are not freely elected by the pop They exercise arbitrary power o Authoritarianism an individual or group of individuals hold power restricts or prohibits participation in goverance and represses dissent o Totalitarianism more repressive than and exert complete control over citizens lives Can be imprisoned or killed for deviating from rule in the mildest of ways o Politically unstable because there is no legit authority Power rests on fear oppression o Most likey form of govt for people to rebel because ppl treated so poorly THEORIES OF POWER AND SOCIETY Pluralist Theory political power in the U S and other democracies is dispersed among several veto groups that compete for resources and influence o Remember that the smooth running of society is a central concern of funct theory No group has more power or influence over another Govt is an active but impartial participant Acts a neutral referee to ensure that competition among veto is done fairly and that needs and interests of citizens are kept in mind The process of veto group competition and its supervision by the government is functional for society according to pluralist theory
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