The Politics of Power A Critical Introduction to American Government,9780534601799

The Politics of Power A Critical Introduction to American Government

by ; ;
Edition: 5th
ISBN13: 9780534601799
ISBN10: 0534601790
Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2005-03-11
Publisher(s): Cengage Learning
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Summary

THE POLITICS OF POWER provides a lively, comprehensive, critical perspective of the American political system by highlighting how political conflicts, institutions, and processes are influenced by deep inequalities generated by the country's political economy. Building on the coverage of all of the major topics typical of an American Government course the critical analysis in this text is based on the theme that American democracy is limited by fundamental inequalities in power and economic resources. Respected for its critical theme, THE POLITICS OF POWER also strives to be direct without being simplistic, engaging without being flippant, and critical without being cynical.

Table of Contents

PREFACE XI
CHAPTER 1 DEMOCRACY'S CHALLENGE 1(14)
Introduction
1(3)
Democracy and Capitalism
4(2)
Standards of Democracy
6(4)
Political Change
10(4)
Conclusion
14(1)
PART I: AMERICAN POLITICAL ECONOMY 15(58)
CHAPTER 2 GOVERNMENT, THE ECONOMY, AND THE POLITICS OF POWER
19(32)
Introduction
19(1)
The System of Capitalism
20(7)
The Mobilization of Bias
27(5)
Corporate Capitalism
32(3)
Who Owns America's Private Government?
35(6)
The Structure of Employment
41(4)
Extreme Market Capitalism
45(4)
Conclusion
49(2)
CHAPTER 3 THE AMERICAN STATE AND CORPORATE CAPITALISM
51(22)
Introduction
51(2)
The First Wave of Expansion
53(3)
The Second Wave of Expansion
56(3)
A New Deal
59(4)
The Golden Age of Capitalism
63(3)
Reaganomics
66(1)
Clintonomics
67(2)
George W. Bush: Reaganomics on Steroids
69(3)
Conclusion
72(1)
PART II: PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION 73(58)
CHAPTER 4 THE POWER OF OPINION
75(26)
Introduction
75(3)
Ignorance and Knowledge
78(5)
Many Publics, Not Just One
83(4)
Political Culture: Capitalism and Democracy
87(3)
Political Culture: Religion and Race
90(2)
Making and Using Opinion
92(4)
Opinion, Policy, and the Conservative Drift
96(3)
Conclusion
99(2)
CHAPTER 5 POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: PARTIES, ELECTIONS, AND MOVEMENTS
101(30)
Introduction
101(1)
Turnout and American Voters
102(3)
The Origins of the Two-Party System
105(2)
Critical Elections and Party Decay
107(6)
Money and Elections
113(5)
The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Coalition
118(9)
A Postelectoral Era?
127(2)
Conclusion
129(2)
PART III: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS 131(106)
CHAPTER 6 THE PRESIDENCY: IMPERIAL OR IMPERILED?
135(34)
Introduction
135(5)
The Historical Presidency
140(2)
The Imperial President
142(6)
The Imperiled Presidency
148(2)
Presidential Styles
150(3)
The Exercise of Presidential Power
153(13)
Conclusion
166(3)
CHAPTER 7 CONGRESS
169(34)
Introduction
169(3)
The Origins of Two Legislative Chambers
172(2)
The Historical Congress
174(3)
Congressional Careers
177(1)
Money and Congressional Elections
178(2)
Safe Seats and Turnover
180(1)
Members of Congress
181(1)
The Legislative Process
182(6)
The Senate
188(4)
The House of Representatives
192(5)
Congress, the Bureaucracy, and Interest Groups
197(4)
Conclusion
201(2)
CHAPTER 8 THE JUDICIARY
203(34)
Introduction
203(3)
A Dual Court System
206(6)
The Supreme Court
212(3)
The Supreme Court in History
215(6)
The Modern Court: From Warren to Rehnquist
221(10)
The Law and the Development of American Capitalism
231(1)
Politics by Lawsuit
232(3)
Conclusion
235(2)
PART IV: PUBLIC POLICY 237(92)
CHAPTER 9 FOREIGN POLICY
239(28)
Introduction
239(2)
American Foreign Policy before World War II
241(2)
Cold War Rivalry
243(2)
Global Expansion
245(2)
A New Era of Globalization?
247(2)
Whose Globalization?
249(7)
The Military Establishment
256(3)
The Shift to Unilateralism and Preemptive War
259(6)
Conclusion
265(2)
CHAPTER 10 THE WELFARE STATE
267(28)
Introduction
267(2)
The Three Legs of the American Welfare State
269(2)
America's Distinctive Welfare State
271(2)
The Historical Welfare State
273(2)
The New Deal
275(5)
Beyond the New Deal
280(2)
The New Poverty
282(3)
The Great Society Program
285(4)
The Contemporary Welfare State
289(4)
Conclusion
293(2)
CHAPTER 11 ECONOMIC POLICY
295(24)
Introduction
295(3)
The Government and the Economy
298(4)
Fiscal Policy
302(2)
Taxes
304(4)
Spending
308(2)
Monetary Policy
310(3)
Regulation
313(4)
Conclusion
317(2)
CHAPTER 12 DEMOCRACY'S FUTURE
319(10)
Introduction
319(2)
American Democracy in Theory and Practice
321(2)
Capitalism and Democracy
323(5)
Conclusion
328(1)
Credits 329(2)
Index 331

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