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political culture

political culture

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

liberty

The condition of being relatively free of
governmental restraints

civic competence

A belief that one can affect government
policies

Individualism

The inclination to believe that one's efforts
and rewards in life are to be
conducted and enjoyed by oneself,
apart from larger social groupings

Max Weber

Individual who explained the rise of
capitalism in part by what he called
the Protestant ethic

equal opportunity

The condition in which people, although not
guaranteed equal rewards, expect to
have comparable chances to compete
for those rewards

blue states

Refers to states that vote Democrat

progressive (social)

People who believe that moral rules are
derived in part from an individual's
beliefs and the circumstances of
modern life

Almond and Verba

Conducted a famous cross-national study of
political participation

civic duty

The feeling that one ought to do one's share
in community affairs, irrespective of
concrete rewards

opposition party

A political party that opposes the majority
party but within the context of the
legal rules of the game

un-American

A word used in naming a congressional
committee to merge the concepts of
acceptance of national values and
goodness itself

Gunnar Myrdal

Individual who described race relations as
"an American dilemma" resulting
from a conflict between the
"American creed" and "American
behavior"

work ethic

A set of values that includes working hard,
saving one's money, and obeying the
law

Americanism

A persistent word in our vocabulary that
indicates Americans are bound by
common values and hopes

Congregational

A kind of church in which members control
activities, whether erecting a building,
hiring a preacher, or managing its
finances

red states

Refers to those states that vote Republican

political tolerance

The willingness to allow people with whom
one disagrees to have the full
protection of the laws when they
express their opinions

class consciousness

The awareness of belonging to a particular
socioeconomic group whose interests
are different from those of others

orthodox (social)

People who believe that moral rules are
derived from God, are unchanging,
and are more important than
individual choice

Erik Erikson

Psychologist who noted distinct traits of
American and European families

political ideology

A relatively consistent set of views of the
policies government ought to pursue