American Political Culture

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Chapter 4
American Political Culture
2
Alexis de Tocqueville

• French
• Why democratic republic took root in USA and not
  in other countries that copied our constitution

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Political Culture

• A distinctive and patterned way of thinking about
  how political and economic life ought to be
  carried out

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POLITICAL SYSTEM
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OUR view of the Political System

• Liberty rights
• Equality vote and participation and success
• Democracy Gov officials accountable to the
  people
• Civic Duty seriousness of community affairs
• Individual Responsibility responsible for own
  action and well-being

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ECONOMIC SYSTEM
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Economic Individualism

• Equality of Opportunity
• NOT
• Equality of Results

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America
v.
Other Nations
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Political System

• Americans have stronger sense of Civic Duty and
  Civic Competence
• Table 4.1 (p81)

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ECONOMIC SYSTEM

• AMERICA Equality of Opportunity
• not
• Equality of Results
• Table 4.2 (p82)
• Table 4.3 (p82)

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CIVIC ROLE OF RELIGION

• America is highly religious
• Both civicly and spiritually
• CIVICLY major source of volunteer and community
  services (faith-based approaches to solving
  social ills)
• TABLES 4.4 4.5 (p83)

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SOURCES OF
POLITICAL CULTURE
Bell Ringers
November 6 8
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MISTRUST OF GOVERNMENT
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MISTRUST

• Since 1950s a more or less steady decline in
  trust of Washington to do right thing
• Figure 4.1 Page 89
• Dont trust Gov. officials not the system

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Why Mistrust Officials

• 1960s Vietnam
• 1970s Nixon (Watergate)
• 1990s Clinton almost impeached by House of
  Representatives

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Patriotic Fever

• September 11, 2001
• Highest level in many years in trust in
  Washington Officials

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Political Efficacy

• Extent to which citizens feel that the political
  system will respond to their needs
• A belief that you can take part in politics
  (internal efficacy) or that the government will
  respond to the citizenry (external efficacy)
• Since mid-1960s sharp drop in sense of external
  efficacy

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POLITICAL TOLERANCE

• Political Tolerance is that which you will
  tolerate even though you disagree
• Political Tolerance is on the Rise
• Figure 4.4