The Role Of Authoritarianism In American Politics

Chapter one of The American Political Tradition by Richard Hofstadter is centered on the Founding Fathers. The very beginning of the chapter says that the Constitutional Convention was trying to create a government that would pay debts and avoid currency inflation. The Democratic ideas that the Founding Fathers were so against appealed mostly to less privileged classes, and not at all to the higher classes. This chapter says that the Founding Fathers thought that if no constitutional balance were achieved, one specific class or would take over others. Three advantages of a good constitutional government were listed in this chapter as well. One: keep order against majority rule. Two: a representative government. Three: aristocracy and democracy

Last but not least the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was partly authoritarian for many reasons. The colony favored a strict set of rules and taxes and stuck to them. This shows the authoritarian government. The Governor set the taxes and laws based on the will of the church and what was the "right thing to do." They even had strict rules about kissing in public, and various other "inappropriate things" considered to be wrong by the church. Some states were nicknamed after the color of the paper that the laws were printed on. The irony of this is that the people wanted to live an easier life with more freedom from the government and religion, but then proceeded to promote and carry out repressive laws such as kissing in public.

Donald Trump before he became the 45th president, his famous campaign motto “Make America Great Again” caught the attention of many Americans, but mostly by white Americans. Trump’s tactics made him a very clever man throughout the election, he had many techniques on how to gain the American vote. Throughout his campaign, he was attentive of the men around him. For example, Trump knew exactly what to say to get the attention of the American people. He already had in mind who he was going to pick in position for foreign policy, national security, and defense (“Donald Trump is the ultimate Machiavellian prince”). With this intention, he brought comfort to Americans, yet the people he was going to pick for these positions all have a common trait, which was all of them are specialist in the Middle East and Russia. Not only, was Trump attentive of America, yet he kept in mind how it was going to affect

In the controversial essay, which was first published in the November 1964 issue of Harper’s Magazine, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” Richard Hofstadter argues how the prevalence of paranoia in American politics has dominated the country. Hofstadter asserts American politics have been governed by paranoia since the creation of the United States, and it has manifested itself into the minds of both average and intellectuals Americans. He contends that paranoia has played a pivotal role in American politics by fostering fear in citizens regarding issues such as gender, ethnicity, race, and religion—and proclaims the reason fear is heightened in citizens has more to do with the style in which panic is spread than any other factor. Furthermore, the author claims the sole issue dictating American politics is not simply paranoia, but rather a problem internationally caused, primarily, through misconceptions and false imaginations. Hofstadter also explores the affiliation paranoia has to power, to corruption, and to the government. Additionally, he examines the reasoning behind many skeptics and paranoids in the country today and describes the techniques with which they spread panic and hysteria, through methods such as books, speeches, and media. “The Paranoid Style in American Politics,” by Richard Hofstadter, demonstrates the critical role paranoia plays in dictating American politics through the utilization of academic diction, anecdotal evidence, logical appeals, an explanatory tone, and chronological organization.

Those who are in power are not accountable to constituencies and public policy does not derive from social consent. Within sociology and political science, particularly within comparative politics, authoritarianism has been understood as a modern type of political regime. Therefore, the concept focuses on the way of accessing, exercising, and organizing power, on the nature of the belief system, and the role of citizens in the political

The idea of political culture is found within the state’s history. The history of the state is impacted by the people settled in the region, religious backgrounds, and geography. The history of the state influences the attitudes and beliefs that people hold regarding their political system. Daniel Elazar theorized a connection between the states’ history and attitude towards government by explaining differences in government between states. Every state is different with some common ground. Elazar’s theory divides states into three types: moralistic, traditionalistic and individualistic. The state’s constitution defines the powers of government with political culture bias. Because of the state constitution, the political culture

The United States government is certainly better than totalitarian and authoritarian governments, and can be rated as one of the top countries for protecting individual rights and ensuring citizen political participation. The United States is a constitutional government so the individual liberties of the people are protected, and the government can not have complete control over everything because they too are confined by laws. This is unlike totalitarian governments that do not care or provide for individual rights and do not have anything confining them, so they are allowed to do whatever they like. Also, authoritarian governments do not allow citizen participation in government, while the United States does which makes our country freer

The political climate that we enjoy today is much different from the political climate of our origins. The United States has come a long way from being under the rule of King George III. Although there are similar democracies around the world, the United States is unique in the way that we conduct politics. What other countries around the world regard liberty and equality as high as America? Our Declaration of Independence says it all “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of

The idea that America is turning fascist has been popular on the Left for as long as I can remember: in the 1960s, when antiwar radicals raged against the Machine, this kind of hyperbole dominated campus political discourse and even made its way into the mainstream. When the radical Weather Underground went into ultra-Left meltdown and began issuing incoherent "communiqués" to an indifferent American public, they invariably signed off by declaring: "Death to the fascist insect pig that preys on the life of the people!"

However, when confidence in the government is lost due to public crises, people seek a charismatic leader. As a charismatic leader, “men do not obey him by virtue of tradition or statute, but because they believe in him” (Weber 1946, 79). Trump expresses charisma in his determination and vows to make “make great America again”, which impresses his followers. Many may find Trump to be inspiring, honest, or courageous. It’s those unique characteristics that gain him authority and is a powerful form of domination that builds a close relationship between the leader and his/her followers. Trump does not abide by norms or traditional policies, he has a personal approach in the system. His passionate emphasis on his ability to restore broken policies and America, convinces and attracts followers that believe in his infallible

Within the United States of America 's democratic system, there are paths that representatives can follow in voting when it comes to the terms of how to best influence the living state of the government and the country. There are numerous ways that Congressional members can be influenced in regards to how they cast ballots, but the most prominent ones are found in constituent opinions, interest groups, and political parties in general. The Legislative Branch of government that Congress resides in was designed to hold the strongest amount of power, even with checks and balances of other Branches enabled, because it is to represent the Framers ' major goals (Ginsberg et al 2012, 41). With how this branch of the government was designed it holds many powers in regards to voting on major government issues, and is full of individuals who we place our trust in. However, the influences mentioned above can be done in both positive or negative ways, so what we must find and address are if the influences are for the greater or worsening of our existence, and if allowing these to continued is the proper way to achieve the best outcome in regards to decisions made for the country. Is it possible that there is a grandly best path for members to follow in deciding how to vote, or are these aforementioned influences the only way to truly decide such important decisions?

In which ways did the Fifties and Sixties in the USA set the scene for the rise of conservatism in the Seventies and into the Reagan era? Was the rise of the right inevitable? Please explain your point of view.

“The American Political Tradition” published in 1948 was written by a well-known historian at Colombia University. Richard Hofstadter was born on August 6, 1916, in Buffalo, New York. He attended both the University of Buffalo and Columbia University where he studied philosophy and history. Hofstadter was married twice and later in 1970 died from leukemia. Throughout his life Hofstadter had a lot of published works including Social Darwinism in American Thought, William Leggett, Spokesman of Jacksonian Democracy, The Age of Reform, The United States: the History of a Republic, and many more. Hofstadter’s purpose for writing this book was to give people a better understanding about our history. He wanted to help Americans understand who was

There is a common belief in the United States that we are, unlike many other countries in the U.S, protected from the threat of ever becoming a country who is ruled by an authoritarian regime. Hence the statement as mentioned by Timothy Snyder, the city on the hill, in which many tend to belief that the United States is protected from any threat of it falling in an authoritarian regime. In reality, this is not true, as discussed by Timothy Snyder in his book On Tyranny. In this book he gives many points on how possible it is for any country including the U.S. into falling into a tyrannical regime. Even though there are many points discussed in the novel, there will be one main point discussed to show how real imminent is the potential for authoritarianism

1.Analyze the evolution of the American political system. Be sure to include one individual or document that influenced the Constitution and one change in the federal system.