CHAPTER 1
The Democratic Republic
Learning Outcomes
The five learning outcomes below are designed to help improve your understanding of this
chapter. After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
Learning Outcome 1: Define the terms politics, government, order, liberty,
authority, and legitimacy.
Learning Outcome 2: Distinguish the major features of direct democracy and
representative democracy, and describe majoritarianism, elite theory, and pluralism.
Learning Outcome 3: Summarize the conflicts that can occur between the
principles of liberty and order, and between those of liberty and equality.
Learning Outcome 4: Discuss conservatism, liberalism, and other popular
American ideological positions.
Learning Outcome 5: Explain how a changing American population and other
social trends may affect the future of our nation.
Summary Overview
Politics is the process by which people decide which members of society receive certain
benefits or privileges and which members do not. It is the struggle over power or influence
within institutions or organizations that can grant benefits or privileges. Government is an
institution within which decisions are made that resolve conflicts and allocate benefits and
privileges. It is the predominant institution within society because it has the ultimate
decision-making authority.
Two fundamental political values are order, which includes security against violence, and
liberty, the greatest freedom of the individual consistent with the freedom of other
individuals. To be effective, government authority must be backed by legitimacy. Many of
our terms for describing forms of government came from the ancient Greeks. In a direct
,democracy, such as in ancient Athens, the people themselves make the important political
decisions. The United States is a democratic republic, also called a representative
democracy, in which the people elect representatives to make the decisions. Some states
provide a modern interpretation of direct democracy for their citizens. In these states,
representative democracy is supplemented by initiative and/or referendum. An initiative is
the process by which voters can directly propose a law or constitutional amendment. In a
referendum, a law or constitutional amendment is proposed by the legislature and referred
to the voters for ballot approval or disapproval. In addition, some states provide for a recall
process where citizens may vote to remove an elected official before the end of his or her
elected term.
Theories of American democracy include majoritarianism, in which the government does
what the majority wants; elite theory, in which the real power lies with one or more elite
groups; and pluralism, in which organized interest groups contend for power. Fundamental
American values include liberty and order, but also, equality, and property rights. Not all of
these values are fully compatible. The value of order often competes with civil liberties,
and economic equality competes with property rights. Popular political ideologies can be
arrayed from left (liberal) to right (conservative). We can also analyze economic liberalism
and conservatism separately from cultural liberalism and conservatism.
Although all four ideologies are popular, voters are more likely to describe themselves as
conservative rather than liberal. The conservative movement has been successful in
assigning a pejorative connotation to the term liberal in recent decades. As a result, many
liberal politicians prefer to describe themselves as a progressive instead. The term
progressive dates back to the years before World War I, when it was used to describe
advocates of reform in both major parties.
The demographic face of America is changing as citizens age and become more diverse.
Like other economically advanced nations, America’s birthrate is falling and citizens are
living longer. Today, 13 percent of the U.S. population is 65 or older and that number is
expected to rise significantly by 2050. In addition, there is a change in the ethnic
composition of America’s citizenry. Latinos now are the largest minority group in the
nation. The percentage of the population that identify as Latino and Asian is expected to
continue to rise in the coming years. By 2050, non-Hispanic whites will no longer be a
majority of the U.S. population at the current rate of change.
Democracy requires that citizens remain vigilant by staying informed about government
activities in areas such as healthcare delivery and entitlement programs. Entitlements are
federal benefits that are available to citizens if certain requirements are met. Examples
, include monthly Social Security checks and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program
(SNAP) benefits. There are several ways to become an informed citizen, such as seeking
out quality sources of information from a wide variety of reputable media and research
organizations. In addition, there are a multitude of political blogs that provide a variety of
viewpoints and opportunities for expression. In order to learn more about how government
works, citizens should become familiar with the activities of local legislative bodies,
including city councils and school boards.
Chapter Outline
I. Politics and Government
A. Government is Everywhere
B. Why is Government Necessary?
C. Limiting Government Power
D. Authority and Legitimacy
II. Democracy and other Forms of Government
A. Types of Government
B. Direct Democracy as a Model
C. The Dangers of Direct Democracy
D. A Democratic Republic
E. What Kind of Democracy do we have?
III. Fundamental Values
A. Liberty versus Order
B. Equality versus Liberty
C. The Proper Size of Government
IV. Political Ideologies
A. Conservatism
B. Liberalism
C. The Traditional Political Spectrum
, D. Problems with the Traditional Political Spectrum
E. A Four-Corned Ideological Grid
F. One Nation, Divided
V. The Changing Face of America
A. The End of the Population Explosion
B. Ethnic Change in America
C. Are we better off?
Teaching Tools
Learning Outcome 1: Define the terms politics, government, order, liberty, authority, and
legitimacy.
Critical Thinking Question:
How does politics affect the allocation of government benefits such as Medicaid and the
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program?
When is government said to have legitimacy? Can you think of situations in your opinion
where government has not acted in a legitimate manner?
Lecture Launcher:
Ask students to freely associate with the term politics. Ask them why so many of the
responses tend to be negative. Do the same with government.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a
little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” How does his sentiment apply
to today?
In-Class Activity:
The Democratic Republic
Learning Outcomes
The five learning outcomes below are designed to help improve your understanding of this
chapter. After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
Learning Outcome 1: Define the terms politics, government, order, liberty,
authority, and legitimacy.
Learning Outcome 2: Distinguish the major features of direct democracy and
representative democracy, and describe majoritarianism, elite theory, and pluralism.
Learning Outcome 3: Summarize the conflicts that can occur between the
principles of liberty and order, and between those of liberty and equality.
Learning Outcome 4: Discuss conservatism, liberalism, and other popular
American ideological positions.
Learning Outcome 5: Explain how a changing American population and other
social trends may affect the future of our nation.
Summary Overview
Politics is the process by which people decide which members of society receive certain
benefits or privileges and which members do not. It is the struggle over power or influence
within institutions or organizations that can grant benefits or privileges. Government is an
institution within which decisions are made that resolve conflicts and allocate benefits and
privileges. It is the predominant institution within society because it has the ultimate
decision-making authority.
Two fundamental political values are order, which includes security against violence, and
liberty, the greatest freedom of the individual consistent with the freedom of other
individuals. To be effective, government authority must be backed by legitimacy. Many of
our terms for describing forms of government came from the ancient Greeks. In a direct
,democracy, such as in ancient Athens, the people themselves make the important political
decisions. The United States is a democratic republic, also called a representative
democracy, in which the people elect representatives to make the decisions. Some states
provide a modern interpretation of direct democracy for their citizens. In these states,
representative democracy is supplemented by initiative and/or referendum. An initiative is
the process by which voters can directly propose a law or constitutional amendment. In a
referendum, a law or constitutional amendment is proposed by the legislature and referred
to the voters for ballot approval or disapproval. In addition, some states provide for a recall
process where citizens may vote to remove an elected official before the end of his or her
elected term.
Theories of American democracy include majoritarianism, in which the government does
what the majority wants; elite theory, in which the real power lies with one or more elite
groups; and pluralism, in which organized interest groups contend for power. Fundamental
American values include liberty and order, but also, equality, and property rights. Not all of
these values are fully compatible. The value of order often competes with civil liberties,
and economic equality competes with property rights. Popular political ideologies can be
arrayed from left (liberal) to right (conservative). We can also analyze economic liberalism
and conservatism separately from cultural liberalism and conservatism.
Although all four ideologies are popular, voters are more likely to describe themselves as
conservative rather than liberal. The conservative movement has been successful in
assigning a pejorative connotation to the term liberal in recent decades. As a result, many
liberal politicians prefer to describe themselves as a progressive instead. The term
progressive dates back to the years before World War I, when it was used to describe
advocates of reform in both major parties.
The demographic face of America is changing as citizens age and become more diverse.
Like other economically advanced nations, America’s birthrate is falling and citizens are
living longer. Today, 13 percent of the U.S. population is 65 or older and that number is
expected to rise significantly by 2050. In addition, there is a change in the ethnic
composition of America’s citizenry. Latinos now are the largest minority group in the
nation. The percentage of the population that identify as Latino and Asian is expected to
continue to rise in the coming years. By 2050, non-Hispanic whites will no longer be a
majority of the U.S. population at the current rate of change.
Democracy requires that citizens remain vigilant by staying informed about government
activities in areas such as healthcare delivery and entitlement programs. Entitlements are
federal benefits that are available to citizens if certain requirements are met. Examples
, include monthly Social Security checks and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program
(SNAP) benefits. There are several ways to become an informed citizen, such as seeking
out quality sources of information from a wide variety of reputable media and research
organizations. In addition, there are a multitude of political blogs that provide a variety of
viewpoints and opportunities for expression. In order to learn more about how government
works, citizens should become familiar with the activities of local legislative bodies,
including city councils and school boards.
Chapter Outline
I. Politics and Government
A. Government is Everywhere
B. Why is Government Necessary?
C. Limiting Government Power
D. Authority and Legitimacy
II. Democracy and other Forms of Government
A. Types of Government
B. Direct Democracy as a Model
C. The Dangers of Direct Democracy
D. A Democratic Republic
E. What Kind of Democracy do we have?
III. Fundamental Values
A. Liberty versus Order
B. Equality versus Liberty
C. The Proper Size of Government
IV. Political Ideologies
A. Conservatism
B. Liberalism
C. The Traditional Political Spectrum
, D. Problems with the Traditional Political Spectrum
E. A Four-Corned Ideological Grid
F. One Nation, Divided
V. The Changing Face of America
A. The End of the Population Explosion
B. Ethnic Change in America
C. Are we better off?
Teaching Tools
Learning Outcome 1: Define the terms politics, government, order, liberty, authority, and
legitimacy.
Critical Thinking Question:
How does politics affect the allocation of government benefits such as Medicaid and the
Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program?
When is government said to have legitimacy? Can you think of situations in your opinion
where government has not acted in a legitimate manner?
Lecture Launcher:
Ask students to freely associate with the term politics. Ask them why so many of the
responses tend to be negative. Do the same with government.
Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a
little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” How does his sentiment apply
to today?
In-Class Activity:
