POL-207 Exam 2 Review

This class has developed the idea of the "two regimes" in the American political tradition. What "regime" does progressivism criticize and intend to replace

1. the American Founding Fathers

2. The progressive movement

• They intend to replace the American founding (federalism)

What does it mean to be a progressive, according to men such as Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt:

• Believes in direct democracy not the founders republicanism

• the constitution prevents us from growing

Woodrow Wilson:

• Historicist conception of the state

• rejects the decl. of independence and unalienable rights

• Darwinian > Newtonian

How does Progressivism take issue with the idea of permanent or eternal truth claims, whether expressed in the doctrine of Natural Law or in the Declaration of Independence's proclamation of unalienable rights?

progressives reject the idea of natural law. They believe that change and evolution is inevitable and therefore politics change and work differently than the founders expected.

truth changes over time

What is historicism and how does it shape the progressive understanding of political life

• the idea that morality is relative to age, truth is relative to the time in history you are in.

• the founder’s vision of government is outdates (worked then but wont work now)

• politics is always changing,

• History is moving forward against our will

• the present is superior to the past.

In Woodrow Wilson's "What is Progress" speech, how does Wilson distinguish his idea of "Darwinian" constitutionalism from the Founders' "Newtonian" Constitutionalism?

He says that the founders were too focused on universal laws of nature, but that Darwin makes us think of the constitution as living and changing with society (must adapt over time)

What are some of the republican teachings of the Founding that the Progressives reject?

• Natural Law and Unalienable Rights

• limited government

• Federalism and States

• Rights

• checks & balances

• separation of powers

• republicanism

The Progressives believed that the "filters" on majority rule imposed by the political science of the Constitution (such as indirect elections, checks and balances, and bicameralism) were threats to historical progress. Why did they believe this?

• eliminate distance between state and people

• individual rights and representative democracy were obstacles

Why does Wilson believe that Socialism and Democracy are so similar at the level of theory? Where do they disagree?

Wilson thinks democracy and socialism have different means but the same end. He doesn't agree with Socialist methods but he does support their principles (everyone works for the benefit of the community)

In the Socialism and Democracy essay, Wilson portrays the doctrine of individual rights as a threat to Progressive Democracy. Why is this?

a focus on individual rights enforces constitutional principles that limit government power, and thus limit progressive democracy, which focuses on an expansion of government programs to promote social justice, economic equality, and welfare

What is the significance of Wilson's statement that the "omnipotence of legislation" is the first just postulate of political theory?

this is the idea that legislation has total, complete power, or that there are no checks on the legislative branch of government to impose any law that operates directly on the people.

How does the Progressive call for "direct democracy" and its skepticism of individual rights against the government reflect its desire to eradicate the line that separates the state from the society, the government from the people?

• belief that the people should directly govern themselves.

• modern technology —> people can be well informed & involved in government

Why did Herbert Croly attack representative government?

• creates a class government that only empowers the rich

• puts distance between people & their representatives

How did Herbert Croly understand human nature? Does he believe that it is captive to the same factious and self-interested motives that the Framers felt it was, or does he see human nature as something that can be perfected through Progressive Democracy?

• perfected through progressive democracy.

• Direct elections allow people to act as checks and balances on government

• founders believed in fallen nature of humanity and the need for checks and balances

What are the five major examples of direct democracy reforms spearheaded by the Progressives? Of the five, three are only successful at the local and state level and are never nationalized in the federal system. Why was this?

• Direct primaries, direct election of US Senators, referendums, ballot initiatives, recalls

• referendums, ballot initiatives, recalls are never nationalized

How do the Progressives conceive of the relationship between politics—the arena where the people express their will—and administration, the arena where their will is carried out? Are Politics and Administration separated or are they connected?

totally separate entitiesf

What is the "administrative state" that the Progressives envision?

• an insulated administrative state unhindered by political forces.

• bureaucrats that are experts in their field dictate law and policy, but are not elected individuals (not government by consent)

How does the progressives vision of the administrative state contrast with the administration of the Founding? Did the Founders regard administration as separate from politics, or as subordinate to one of the three branches of government?

the founders regarded administration as subordinate to the executive branch of government - they focused more on government as a whole (including the administration)

How does the Progressive theory of the administrative state pose major challenges to the teachings of the American Founding?

because administrative positions are under no political authority, there is no check on its powers (no checks & balances like the Founders said)

What is it that insulates the administrative state from political scrutiny? If the administrators do not receive their legitimacy from the consent of the people or from the electoral process, what is it that the Progressives believe legitimizes them?

the progressives believe that their legitimacy comes from their expert knowledge

How is the administrative state a "fourth branch" of the government rather than a subset of the executive branch?

executive branch has almost no control over the administrative

What is Woodrow Wilsons justification for the separation of politics and administration in his essay "The Study of Administration."

he says that "administrative questions are not political questions,"

politicians dictate policy, leave carrying it out to the adminsitration

How does Theodore Roosevelt shift away from traditional notions of private property rights in the New Nationalism speech?

• economic rights protected by the government

• He redefines the American founding (make his idea more acceptable)

• property is collectively owned for the benefit of the community (frontier is closed)

In what way does Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal represent one of the greatest triumphs for the Progressive Philosophy of American government?

FDR realized the principles articulated by previous progressives through his New Deal - new understanding of individualism & the welfare state

Why did Roosevelt's call for a New Deal resonate with the American people in 1932?

during this time, many were struggling due to the Great Depression and were in great need of food and paid work. FDR's New Deal proposed welfare programs that met these needs

What were some of the most important New Deal of FDR's presidency?

social security & national labor relations (establishes unions)

What is the significance of the closing of the frontier for Franklin Roosevelt and his progressive philosophy of government?

he believed that the frontier that had existed up to this point in American history had finally closed. Because of this, it was time to stop creating new things and instead use government powers to regulate and control what already existed.

What are some important progressive ideas that characterize the Commonwealth Club Address?

"day of enhanced administration"
historicist presentation of freedom and rights
new individualism
closing of the frontier
government is privilege, not a threat

What is the "new individualism" of the Commonwealth Club Speech? How does FDR's version of individualism contrast with the old individualism of Founders?

while the Founders viewed individualism as the idea that all people have inherent & unalienable rights from God, FDR believes that new individualism brings a new understanding of government. while the government was once intended to protect the rights of the people, the government now grants right to the people (individual liberties are not inherent or unalienable)

How does Franklin Roosevelt predict that the old understanding of the separation of powers will need to be revised to deal with the Great Depression?

he wants the executive to have more power to push welfare legislation/new deal policy through

In the 1944 State of the Union Message to Congress, FDR calls for a "Second Bill of Rights" How do the "economic rights" of the second bill of rights suggest a massive expansion of the role of government?

the second bill of rights would guarantee a plethora of new economic rights that are managed by the national government. for example, the economic right to a good education involves government monitoring and evaluating educational institutions, a large expansion of government.

What is the difference between political and economic rights? Why does FDR believe that political rights are insufficient in the modern world

Political rights protect individuals from the government while economic rights are guaranteed to the people by the government - lack of stability during the depression meant people felt they lacked socioeconomic equailty

How did Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society program both realize the promise of the New Deal and earlier forms of Progressivism (especially the call for "economic rights") but also simultaneously radicalize it?

expanded progressivism from only economic rights to social ones too; equality of outcome guaranteed by gov

What were some of the ways that Lyndon B. Johnson sought to wage a "War on Poverty" through his Great Society programs?

Administrative state expansion under the federal government - economic opportunity, civil rights, food stamps, etc.

What were some of the federal programs that LBJ created to wage this war?

Civil Rights Act of 1964, Food Stamp Act of 1964, Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 , Medicare and Medicaid Act of 1965, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

What are some of the conditions for the "Great Society" according to Lyndon B. Johnson?

The government must guarantee the happiness of its citizens, pursuing it for them (because government knows what is best)

How does the Great Society represent one of the greatest victories for the earlier Progressive doctrine of the administrative state?

It permanently expanded the administrative state and welfare state, realizing extremely progressive ideas

How does contemporary liberalism reject earlier forms of liberalism that stressed freedom from government and equality of opportunity? If equality of opportunity is inadequate in the modern world, what kind of equality should the government seek to promote?

Contemporary liberalism strives for equality of outcome rather than opportunity.

First Wave Feminism

voting for women's voting rights while still valuing traditional gender roles

second wave of feminism

fought for equal opportunity in the work place

third wave of feminism

radicalization of feminism. Fight against masculinity. Fighting for abortion and lgtbq rights

In what ways does First Wave Feminism and its desire to combine equal political rights for women with traditional gender roles contrast with the goals of modern liberalism?

first wave feminists focused on issues such as voting rights and equal citizenship, while modern liberalism focuses on transgender rights and abortion issues, fully denying the existence of gender roles.