Apush Chapter 1 Summary

POL 101 – EXAM 3 – STUDY GUIDE
Chapter 10 * Political socialization, political culture, public opinion, political ideology – what the terms mean, how they differ

Public Opinion: The attitudes of individuals regarding their political leaders and institutions as well as political and social issues
-A mechanism that quantifies the carious opinions held by the population or by subgroups of the population at a particular point in time

Political Ideology: A consistent set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy regarding the proper goals, purposes, functions, and size of government
-Liberals and Conservatives

Public Socialization: The conscious and unconscious transmission of political culture and values from one generation to
-Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin: The novel personalized the horror of slavery and mobilized people who had previously been unaware about the depth of the problem -The film Birth of a Nation: Glorified the Ku Klux Klan and is arguably one of the most racist movies ever made in the US, clearly harmed American race relations -Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique: Invigorated the feminist movement in the 1960s
-Today, politics and entertainment have become increasingly intertwined -Celebrities often make political statements, ranging from open expressions of support for a particular candidate or party to organizing and articulating support for political issues or movements
-Several theories have been advanced to explain the relationship between popular culture and political culture: -Catalyst-For-Change Theory: The assertion that public opinion shapes and alters our political culture, thus allowing change -Examples: -Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the MLB -Vanessa Williams was crowned he first black Miss America -Many people in society began to think differently about issues of race and beauty -Barometer of Public Attitudes: The theory that the media reflect popular
-Political Ideology: A consistent set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy regarding the proper goals, purposes, functions, and size of government
-Liberal: A person who generally supports governmental action to promote equality, favors governmental intervention in the economy, and supports environmental issues -Democrats
-Conservative: A person who believes in limiting government spending, preserving traditional patterns of relationships, and that big government is a threat to personal liberties -Republicans
-Populist: Believe that the government can be a positive agent to protect “common people” (which historically included farmers and workers) against the moneyed elite -Favor governmental action to promote equality but also support policies to uphold order
-Libertarians: Support individual liberty in economic, personal, and social realms over government authority -Acknowledge that government must have some authority, but they believe that most governmental action must be severely regulated and limited
Influence on Political Socialization
Public Socialization: The conscious and unconscious transmission of political culture and values from one generation to