POLITICS: POWER AND AUTHORITY
POLITICS: POWER AND AUTHORITY MICROPOLITIC AND MACROPOLITICS - Power – the ability to carry out your will in spite of resistance - Micropolitics – the exercise of power in everyday life - Every group is political, for in every group there is a power struggle of some sort - Macropolitics – the exercise of large-scale power over a large group
POWER, AUTHORITY, AND VIOLENCE - Authority – legitimate power - Coercion – illegitimate power (not accepted as morally correct) Authority and Legitimate Violence - The state claims the exclusive right to use violence and the right to punish anyone else who does THE COLLAPSE OF AUTHORITY - Revolution – armed resistance with the intention to overthrow a government o Not only a people’s rejection of a government’s claim to rule over them but also a rejection of its monopoly on violence - The more its power is seen as legitimate, the more stable a government is. Traditional Authority - Most common form - Based on custom - Example of traditional authority: gender relations in most human groups, parental authority - Undermined by industrialization because people are exposed to new experiences Rational-Legal Authority - Based on written rules - “rational” – reasonable, “legal” – part of law - Also called bureaucratic authority Charismatic Authority - Someone to whom people are drawn because they believe the person has been touched by God or has been endowed by nature with exceptional qualities The Transfer of Authority - Routinization of charisma – the transition of authority from a charismatic leader to rationallegal authority
TYPES OF GOVERNMENT Monarchies: The Rise of the State - City-states – the first type of government - Monarchy – with a king or queen whose right to rule considered hereditary Democracies: Citizenship as a Revolutionary Idea - Democracy – power to the people
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Direct democracy – small enough for eligible voters to meet, express opinions, and vote publicly Representative democracy – for large populations Citizenship – people have basic right by virtue of birth and residence Universal citizenship – everyone having the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country
Dictatorships and Oligarchies: The Seizure of Power - Dictatorship – a government run by a single person who has seized power - Oligarchy – a small group seizes power - Totalitarianism – total control of a people by a government
THE CANADIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM - Parliament – the supreme national lawmaking authority for all matters that fall within its jurisdiction - Unitary state – all power resides with the central government - Confederal union – provinces have most of the powers and the central government has little authority to enforce national decisions on the “sovereign provinces. What is the Parliamentary System in Canada? - Three major levels of government in Canada: o The Queen has no power to make laws in Canada o The Senate is a minor player to the lawmaking process o Parliament has the ultimate power to make law in Canada - The power to spend money and introduce tax legislation – the Cabinet - Prime minister has the exclusive power to postpone and dissolve Parliament - The PM wields the real power in Canada’s federal government The Structure of the Canadian Bureaucracy - Public servants – employees of the federal government who work for one of the ministries - Public sector employees are a much larger group (include both federal and provincial public servants and employees of Crown corporations, the military, and other nondepartmental agencies of the government) - Federal bureaucracy – comprised of employees in the armed forces, the RCMP, various government agencies, and the public service Quebec: The Social Basis for the Quiet Revolution and the Rise of the Sovereignty Movement - Began with the death of Maurice Duplessis Democratic Systems in Europe - Proportional representation – the seats in the national legislature are divided according to the proportion of votes received by each political party - Noncentrist parties – propose less popular ideas - Coalition government
WHO RULES CANADA The Functionalist Perspective: Pluralism
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Functionalists say that pluralism prevents any one group from gaining control of a government and using it to oppress the people
The Conflict Perspective: Power Elite or Ruling Class - The power elite consists of the top leaders of the largest corporations, the most powerful generals and admirals of the armed forces, and certain elite politicians. o They wield the most power and make the decisions that direct the country - Conflict theorists contend that we should not think that the behavior of the ruling class stems from some ground conspiracy to control the country. Rather, it is grounded in mutual interests in solving problems faced by large businesses. Feminist Perspectives: Gender Reform, Resistance, and Rebellion - Proponents of liberal feminism hold the current system of democratic government as legitimate EMPLOYMENT EQUITY - Women have made important strides, yet underrepresented at the executive level
WAR AND TERRORISM: A MEANS TO IMPLEMENT POLITICAL OBJECTIVES - State claims a monopoly on violence - War – armed conflict between nations or politically distinct groups Terrorism - A continuing threat War and Dehumanization - Dehumanization – the process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve to be treated as humans - 4 characterizations o Increased emotional distance from others o An emphasis on following procedures o Inability to resist pressures o A diminished sense of personal responsibility
POWER, AUTHORITY, AND VIOLENCE - Authority – legitimate power - Coercion – illegitimate power (not accepted as morally correct) Authority and Legitimate Violence - The state claims the exclusive right to use violence and the right to punish anyone else who does THE COLLAPSE OF AUTHORITY - Revolution – armed resistance with the intention to overthrow a government o Not only a people’s rejection of a government’s claim to rule over them but also a rejection of its monopoly on violence - The more its power is seen as legitimate, the more stable a government is. Traditional Authority - Most common form - Based on custom - Example of traditional authority: gender relations in most human groups, parental authority - Undermined by industrialization because people are exposed to new experiences Rational-Legal Authority - Based on written rules - “rational” – reasonable, “legal” – part of law - Also called bureaucratic authority Charismatic Authority - Someone to whom people are drawn because they believe the person has been touched by God or has been endowed by nature with exceptional qualities The Transfer of Authority - Routinization of charisma – the transition of authority from a charismatic leader to rationallegal authority
TYPES OF GOVERNMENT Monarchies: The Rise of the State - City-states – the first type of government - Monarchy – with a king or queen whose right to rule considered hereditary Democracies: Citizenship as a Revolutionary Idea - Democracy – power to the people
-
Direct democracy – small enough for eligible voters to meet, express opinions, and vote publicly Representative democracy – for large populations Citizenship – people have basic right by virtue of birth and residence Universal citizenship – everyone having the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country
Dictatorships and Oligarchies: The Seizure of Power - Dictatorship – a government run by a single person who has seized power - Oligarchy – a small group seizes power - Totalitarianism – total control of a people by a government
THE CANADIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM - Parliament – the supreme national lawmaking authority for all matters that fall within its jurisdiction - Unitary state – all power resides with the central government - Confederal union – provinces have most of the powers and the central government has little authority to enforce national decisions on the “sovereign provinces. What is the Parliamentary System in Canada? - Three major levels of government in Canada: o The Queen has no power to make laws in Canada o The Senate is a minor player to the lawmaking process o Parliament has the ultimate power to make law in Canada - The power to spend money and introduce tax legislation – the Cabinet - Prime minister has the exclusive power to postpone and dissolve Parliament - The PM wields the real power in Canada’s federal government The Structure of the Canadian Bureaucracy - Public servants – employees of the federal government who work for one of the ministries - Public sector employees are a much larger group (include both federal and provincial public servants and employees of Crown corporations, the military, and other nondepartmental agencies of the government) - Federal bureaucracy – comprised of employees in the armed forces, the RCMP, various government agencies, and the public service Quebec: The Social Basis for the Quiet Revolution and the Rise of the Sovereignty Movement - Began with the death of Maurice Duplessis Democratic Systems in Europe - Proportional representation – the seats in the national legislature are divided according to the proportion of votes received by each political party - Noncentrist parties – propose less popular ideas - Coalition government
WHO RULES CANADA The Functionalist Perspective: Pluralism
-
Functionalists say that pluralism prevents any one group from gaining control of a government and using it to oppress the people
The Conflict Perspective: Power Elite or Ruling Class - The power elite consists of the top leaders of the largest corporations, the most powerful generals and admirals of the armed forces, and certain elite politicians. o They wield the most power and make the decisions that direct the country - Conflict theorists contend that we should not think that the behavior of the ruling class stems from some ground conspiracy to control the country. Rather, it is grounded in mutual interests in solving problems faced by large businesses. Feminist Perspectives: Gender Reform, Resistance, and Rebellion - Proponents of liberal feminism hold the current system of democratic government as legitimate EMPLOYMENT EQUITY - Women have made important strides, yet underrepresented at the executive level
WAR AND TERRORISM: A MEANS TO IMPLEMENT POLITICAL OBJECTIVES - State claims a monopoly on violence - War – armed conflict between nations or politically distinct groups Terrorism - A continuing threat War and Dehumanization - Dehumanization – the process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve to be treated as humans - 4 characterizations o Increased emotional distance from others o An emphasis on following procedures o Inability to resist pressures o A diminished sense of personal responsibility
