Download Political Culture (Online Version)

Government and Politics of the USA
Lecture 5:
US Political Culture
Dr Simon Boucher ~ [email protected]
Readings for today
Required reading…
• McKay chap 2
• Singh chap 2
Additional resources…
• Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
• Louis Hartz, The Liberal Tradition in America
• Roger Smith, “Beyond Tocqueville, Myrdal and Hartz: The
Multiple Traditions in America”. APSR 87.3, Sept 1993
• John Kenneth Galbraith, The Culture of Contentment
• Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone
Plus see the course website…
• http://uspoliticstcd.pbwiki.com/FrontPage
Agenda
• What is political culture?
• Basic values of US political culture
• Additional influences on US political
culture
• “American exceptionalism”
What is “political culture”?
"The orientation of the citizens of a nation
toward politics, their perceptions
of political legitimacy and
the traditions of political practice."
Beliefs and values about how…
• Government
…Life should be carried out
• Political and
within a state
• Economic…
How is political culture formed?
Often independent of political authority
• Formed by socialisation
– Parents
– Work
- Friends
- Media
- School
- Religion
• What happens when political culture
greatly diverges from political institutions?
– Regime change
– Country fragments
Basics of US Political Culture
In the US, the political culture typically
supports and reinforces the political system:
“It has been our fate as a nation not to have
ideologies, but to be one” (Richard Hofstadter)
• Most commentators agree the foundations of US
political culture
–
–
–
–
–
Liberty
Equality
Individualism
Democracy
The rule of law under the Constitution
Basics of US Political Culture
In the US, the political culture typically
supports and reinforces the political system:
“It has been our fate as a nation not to have
ideologies, but to be one” (Richard Hofstadter)
Most commentators agree the foundations of US political
culture…
Democracy
Liberty
Rule of law
Equality
Individualism
Liberty
• Tends to be felt stronger
by elites
• Tends to be more general
than specific
• Has clearly increased in
last 50 years
• Liberal attitudes stronger
in certain regions
• Antipathy remains to
certain non-American
values
– Islam
– Big brother-state
Equality
Americans have…
• Equality of estimation
• Equality of opportunity
• Equality before the law
But…
• Dialogue of equality
masks considerable de
facto economic inequality
Individualism
“Americanism” characterised by stress on individual
rather than collective action…
•
•
•
•
“Self-reliant roots in Puritanism
Collectivist political parties absent
Trade union membership low
Public antipathy to welfare
dependence
• Reinforced by the success of
capitalism
But economic individualism doesn’t automatically
imply cultural individualism
Democracy and the rule of law
• Americans devoted to
majoritarianism
• Election legitimacy usually
accepted
• Belief in Constitution and the rule
of law
• General admiration for the US
system; system remains relatively
stable
• Differences over the system
accommodated without
challenging order
The concept of “Americanism”
Americans’ distinctive
views on…
•
•
•
•
•
Liberty
Equality
Individualism
Democracy
The rule of law under
the Constitution
Collectively
form a political culture
known as “Americanism”.
• Devotion to Americanism is striking
• Ideological consensus on key points
supported by virtually all social and political
groups
Other influences upon US political culture
•
•
•
•
Immigration
Social structure
Race and ethnicity
Religion
Immigration
America is built on an “ideology of immigration”
…Population has grown
• 20% per decade until 1920
• 10% per decade since 1920
• 12 million immigrants in 1990s
HOWEVER
• Frequently caps and restrictions placed on immigrants
over US history
• Immigration has become increasingly controversial due to
illegal immigration
• Bush’s attempted to address it failed spectacularly
Home of the middle class?
• Traditionally America has been essentially
middle class, eschewing both working
class and aristocratic values
• 2002: 45% of American workers in
professional, technical, managerial or
administrative jobs
• Highly educated society
• High level of home and stock ownership
HOWEVER
• US history NOT free from class conflict
• Distribution of American wealth and income highly
unequal
• Some groups in society actually getting poorer
Race and ethnicity
• US has a highly diverse ethnic
composition
• African, Hispanic and Asian
groups remain particularly
distinctive
• Race issues clearly important,
but almost always with context
of established institutions and
political parties
Religion
• America is a highly religious country
• Multiplicity of religions
• Traditionally, religion not a source of
major social division
• Christian right has est. considerable
political influence in last 20 years
• Faith-related issues increasingly
controversial
• “War on terror” a “war on Islam”?
HOWEVER
• Political success of religious right mixed
• Influence over-exaggerated?
Components of US political culture
Immigration
Liberty
Equality
Individualism
The
American
Dream
Democracy
Religion
Social structure
Race
American Exceptionalism?
American “Exceptionalism”
A prevailing assumption that the US is unique…
•
•
•
•
•
Historical evolution
Ethnic diversity
Absence of class politics
Based upon ideals, not ethnicity
Sophistication of Constitutional system
… And superior?
•
•
•
•
“Manifest destiny”
Social mobility
Economic and military power
Moral superiority- above international law
…As long as Americans believe it,
it doesn’t matter whether it is true or not
The coming weeks
4-5pm this week: Dr Bill McSweeney
• Read class material
– 2 journalistic articles; 10 pages
– Prepare questions
• Come ready to participate
Weeks 4 & 5: No lectures, essay titles announced
Week 6: lectures AND tutorials
• Federalism
• The Republican Presidential candidates
Tutorial groups reminder
• 2 tutorial groups:
– Group A on Tuesdays @ 4pm in 3020
– Group B on Thursdays @ 11am in 4046
• Sign up to a tutorial group by emailing Jane
([email protected])
• Places on first-come, first served basis
• Once you sign up to a group please stick to it
• Two Michaelmas term tutorials in weeks 6 and 8