Political Changes In The United States Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter 1: Forces of Political Change in Today’s World

I. World events and domestic crises create political changes that affect the way all of us live. II. Change versus Stability a. People and governments need stability as well as change. Agreement on the rules of the road, on the structure of government, and especially on the processes by which change is made gives people the confidence they need to plan for their own futures. If governments change capriciously or suddenly, no individual or family can be sure that their plans are safe. b. Due to our electoral system, Americans have the opportunity to maintain or to change the balance of power in their national government every two years or so c. The
Sources of Political Power 1. At one extreme is a society governed by a totalitarian regime. In such a political system, a small group of leaders or a single individual- a dictator- makes all political decisions for the society. Every aspect of political, social, and economic life is controlled by the government. The power of the ruler is total (thus, the term totalitarian). 2. Many of our terms for describing the distribution of political power are derived from the ancient Greeks, who were the first Western people to study politics systematically. A society in which political decisions were controlled by a small group was called an oligarchy, meaning rule by a few members of the elite, who generally benefited themselves. Another form of rule by the few was known as aristocracy, meaning rule by the most virtuous, the most talented, or the best suited to the position. Later in European history, aristocracy meant rule by the titled or the upper classes. In contrast to such a top-down form of control was the form known as anarchy, or the condition of no government. Anarchy exists when each individual makes his or her own rules for behavior, and there are no laws and no