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POLS Week 3: Republic, Federalism, and Ideologies (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Republic vs Democracy

  • Polybius on Rome: Rome’s success credited to republicanism, not pure monarchy, aristocracy, or democracy.

    • Structure: the people control the assemblies, the aristocrats control the Senate, and consuls serve as facilitators of law (similar to separation of powers in the United States).

    • Democracy tended toward self-interest; the republic promoted a plurality of interests.

  • Founders’ intent: they did not intend to form a pure democracy.

    • James Madison at the Constitutional Convention warned that open elections to all classes could threaten landed proprietors’ property and lead to agrarian laws that undermine minority protections. He argued government should secure permanent interests and protect a minority of the opulent against the majority.

  • The United States as a Republic

    • Federalists (e.g., Hamilton, Adams) argued for a stronger federal government to guard against mob rule.

    • John Adams: the only Federalist president (later aligned with Republicans).

    • Republicans (Democratic-Republicans): led by Madison, Jefferson; emphasized states’ rights and limits on national power.

    • The era of the “common man”: idealized self-reliance and participatory capacity (e.g., could work land, read law, present cases, participate in town meetings, and carry arms to defend liberties).

  • Federalism (definition and purpose)

    • Apolitical system where governing authority is split/shared between national government and subordinate units.

    • Benefits:

    • State authority in policymaking (laboratories of democracy and policy diffusion).

    • Proportional and geographic representation (culture, ethnicity, religion).

    • Detriments:

    • Policy disharmony across states.

    • Often used to conceal racism under the guise of “states’ rights.”

    • Quote illustrating how political tactics can be racially coded (Atwater):

      • "You start out in 1954 by saying ‘N, N, N’ by 1968 you can’t say ‘N’… you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic… and a byproduct of it… blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously, maybe that is part of it…" – Lee Atwater.

  • Federalism vs Confederation

    • Federalism solved problems under the Articles of Confederation; under the Articles, states were the supreme power.

    • Under the Constitution, the federal government is the supreme power.

    • A strong central government is better equipped to deal with conflict.

    • The federal government holds enumerated powers; the states hold reserved powers.

  • Constitutional framework references

    • Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2):
      \text{This constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.}

    • Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV, Section 1):
      \text{Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may be general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.}

  • Types of Federalism
    1) Dual Federalism: a system in which power is split between the federal government and its subordinate units.
    2) Cooperative Federalism: a system in which the federal government uses positive sanctions to harmonize public policy.
    3) Regulated Federalism: a system in which the federal government uses negative sanctions to harmonize public policy.
    4) Horizontal Federalism: the attempt to harmonize the action, institutions and the laws of each state (regulated by Article IV).

Inequality in American Political Development (A snapshot from Page 3)

  • American history is marred by racism, sexism, and gender/sexual discrimination.

    • 15th Amendment (1870): Black people gained the right to vote; Jim Crow laws still enforced second-class citizenship.

    • Key cases and milestones:

    • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

    • Mendez v. Westminster (1964)

    • Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

    • Little Rock Nine (1957 context)

    • Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965)

    • Racism manifests as prejudice, individual racism, and institutional racism.

  • 19th Amendment (1920): Women gained the right to vote, but patriarchy continued to impede meaningful participation (pay gaps, glass ceiling, unequal representation, etc.).

  • LGBTQIA+ community experiences widespread discrimination in identification, housing, work, and healthcare.

A Digression into Political Theory: Ideology and Norms (Page 4-5 content)

  • Ideology basics

    • Political ideology: a comprehensive set of beliefs about the political world; informs desirable political goals and the best means to achieve them.

    • Core questions it answers: human nature, the relationship between the individual and society, equality (opportunity vs. outcome), and freedom.

    • Functions of political ideology:
      1) Explanation
      2) Evaluation
      3) Orientation
      4) Political program

  • Conservatism (traditional framework)

    • Desires: slow or no change; stability and tradition.

    • Quote: "The accumulated wisdom and experience of countless generations gone is more likely to be right than passing fashion of the moment." (F. J. C. Hearnshaw)

    • Core beliefs: patriotism and nationalism; views on human nature; balance of individual and society; views on equality.

    • Types of conservatism today:

    • Traditional (Burkean) conservatism: ordered liberty; society/government protect the social fabric by limiting capitalism.

    • Individualist conservatism: emphasizes individual liberty and competition; argues most problems stem from too much government.

  • Neoconservatism and Religious Right

    • Neoconservatism: agrees with traditional conservatives that capitalism should be limited to avoid unintended harms of social programs; agrees with individualist conservatives about competition among individuals.

    • Religious Right: often Evangelical Christians who take a literal reading of the Bible; favor government intervention in social life; otherwise align with individualist views.

  • Classical Liberalism (Political Ideology)

    • Core idea: rationality; agents maximize their utility; individuals are rational, self-interested, and competitive.

    • Liberal goals: freedom and responsibility of the individual; limited government; social and economic development.

    • Liberal beliefs touch on: human nature, the relationship between the individual and society, and equality.

    • Adam Smith excerpt (illustrative of classical liberal thinking):
      "The homely and common proverb 'They eye is larger than the belly' is exactly true of [the] landlord. The capacity of his stomach bears no proportion to the vastness of his desires, and won’t receive any more food than does the stomach of the lowest peasants. He has to distribute the rest among [his workers]…"

  • Useful terms (political economy vocabulary)

    • Means of production: land, facilities, machinery, tools, raw materials, etc.

    • Labour: physical act of working.

    • Labour power: the ability to work.

    • Forces of production: means of production and labour power.

    • Relations of production: voluntary and involuntary social and technical relationships.

    • Mode of production: combination of forces and relations of production.

Class Conflict and the Historical Trajectory of Society (Page 6)

  • Core claim: class conflict is the engine of change.

    • All societies progress through a linear history of different modes of production:
      \text{Primitive communism} \rightarrow \text{slavery} \rightarrow \text{feudalism} \rightarrow \text{capitalism} \rightarrow \text{socialism} \rightarrow \text{advanced communism}.

  • Marxist-Leninist socialism

    • Social orders resist change; the transformation from class-based society to communism will be violent.

    • A vanguard party is transitional; goal is to establish communism.

  • Democratic socialism

    • Change can be achieved through democratic means using existing institutions (parliament, elections).

    • Welfare state provisions to address problems arising from conservatism and liberalism:

    • Disease: universal health care.

    • Want: programs to raise people out of poverty.

    • Squalor: publicly owned affordable housing.

    • Ignorance: free public education.

    • Idleness: meaningful work for everyone.

  • Socialist goals and worldview

    • Transformation of societal norms through an active state apparatus.

    • Reduction/elimination of class distinctions; more equal wealth distribution.

    • View that conservatism and liberalism are two sides of the same coin; both can perpetuate inequality.

    • Beliefs about human nature, the individual-society relationship, and equality remain central.

American Political Economy: Capitalism (Page 7 summary)

  • Characterization: The United States’ mode of production is capitalism.

  • Benefits of capitalism

    • Extremely productive; high output and efficiency.

    • Increased consumer choices in the marketplace.

    • Competition and the free market drive innovation and growth.

  • Detriments of capitalism

    • Potential conflict with the public interest due to externalities (costs/benefits not reflected in market prices).

    • Often viewed as an anti-democratic form of production (concentration of power, influence).

    • Requires inequality and oppression to function, historically (e.g., wage gaps, exploitation).

    • Cycles of growth and contraction (crises of overproduction).

Connections and Implications (Synthesis)

  • Democratic theory vs republican structure informs current debates about governance, mob rule, minority rights, and checks/balances.

  • Federalism remains a live issue in debates over state experimentation, civil rights, and national standards.

  • Historical inequality (racism, sexism, LGBTQIA+ rights) shapes contemporary policy and political coalitions; law and policy progress often proceed in fits and starts tied to landmark cases and acts.

  • Ideological diversity (conservatism, liberalism, socialism) frames how people conceive of change, the role of government, and the means by which economic justice is pursued.

  • The capitalist economic frame drives both innovation and inequality; socialist critiques emphasize welfare state remedies to public goods and equity concerns.

  • Ethical and practical implications arise around:

    • How to balance majority rule with protection of minority/property rights.

    • The legitimacy of using state power to correct market failures and address social justice.

    • The role of government in promoting equality while preserving individual freedom and incentives.

  • Key dates and terms to remember:

    • 15th Amendment (1870); Jim Crow era; Plessy v. Ferguson (1896);

    • Brown v. Board of Education (1954); Mendez v. Westminster (1947/1964 context);

    • Civil Rights Act (1964); Voting Rights Act (1965);

    • 19th Amendment (1920);

    • Articles: Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2); Full Faith and Credit (Article IV, Section 1).

  • Notable quotes to recall:

    • Madison on the dangers of open democracy and the need to protect minority interests against majority impulses.

    • Lee Atwater on coded political tactics and the evolution of racial appeals in policy framing.

    • Burkean idea of “ordered liberty” and the emphasis on tradition and social fabric.

(Note: All dates, clauses, and foundational ideas above are drawn directly from the provided transcript.)