Sociology: Politics

Just-war theory

Catholic beliefs: 1. A sovereign authority must declare war 2. the cause must be just 3. must be right intention 4. the good sought should outweigh the evil rendered

Charismatic authority

1. power legitimized on the basis of a leaders exceptional personal qualities or the demonstration of extraordinary insight and accomplishment that inspire loyalty and obedience from followers (politicians, soldiers, religious leaders)

Traditional authority

1.power that is legitimized on the basis of long standing custom (kings, Queens, Pope) 2. Gender, Race, and Class closely intertwined with this

Power

1.the ability of persons or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others through use of persuasion, authority, and force 2. social relationship that involves both leaders and followers 3. persons control wealth, status, comfort, and safety

Authoritarianism

a political system controlled by rulers who deny popular participation in government. (can be an absolute monarch)

monarchy

a political system in which power resides in one person or family and is passed from generation to generation through lines of inheritance. Common in agrarian societies (traditional authority)

Totalitarianism

a political system in which states seeks to regulate ALL aspects of people's public and private lives. Relies on modern technology to monitor and control people

Democracy

a political system in which the people hold the ruling power either directly or indirectly through elected representatives. Ideally people would actively and directly rule themselves.

Elite model (conflict perspective)

a power in political systems is concentrated in the hands of a small group of elites, and the masses are relatively powerless

militarism

a social focus on military ideals and an aggressive preparedness for war

Absolute monarchs

claim a hereditary right to rule, or a divine right to rule. Have complete control over politics (above the law)

Wright Mills: power elite

made up of leaders at he top of business, the executive branch of the federal government, and the military 1. corporate rich at the top of pyramid 2. legislative and special interest groups in the middle of pyramid 3. unorganized masses, who are relatively powerless and vulnerable to economic and political exploitation at the bottom of the pyramid

Political sociology (political science)

the are of sociology that examines the nature and consequences of power within or between societies , as well as social and political conflicts that lead to changes in the allocation of power

Government

the formal organization that has the legal and political authority to regulate the relationships among members of a society and between the society and those outside its borders

State (social analyst)

the political entity that possesses a legitimate monopoly over the use of force within its territory to achieve its goals

constitutional monarchy

the royalty serve as a symbolic ruler or heads of state, while actual authority is held by elected officials in national parliament

Politics

the social institution through which power is acquired and exercised by some people and groups

Terrorism

the use of calculated, unlawful physical force or threats of violence against a government, organization, or individual to gain some political, religious, economic, or social objective

William Domhoff: Ruling class

the wealthiest persons in the upper class and the corporate rich who make up less than 1% of the U.S. population . Domhoff uses this term to signify a relatively fixed group of privileged people who wield power sufficient to constrain political process and serve underlying capitalists interest

Super PACs

unrestricted in who can give, and how much they may donate. As a result, larger sums of money flow into candidates campaign coffers from entities that have specific agendas

media

use their power to influence public opinion in favor of... 1. management over labor 2. corporations over racial and ethnic minorities 3. political officers over protesters 4. free-market capitalists over those in favor of public-sector development

Purpose of government (Emile Durkheim)

1. Protect citizens 2. Planning and direction setting 3. Meeting social needs 4. Relating to external foreign nations

Social circumstances of politics

explores how the political area and its actors are intertwined with social institutions such as economy, religion, education, and media

limited monarchs

not considered above the law

Routinization of Charisma

occurs when charismatic authority is succeeded by a bureaucratic authority

Political action committees (PACs)

organizations of special interest groups that solicit contributions from donors and fund campaigns to help elect (or defeat) candidates based on their stances on specific issues. (contains restrictions)

Lobyists (lobby groups)

people who are hired by client (rich corporations) and paid to influence elected officials

Social interest groups

persons or groups that form coalitions in order to influence elected officials

Pluralist model

power in political systems is widely dispersed throughout many competing interest groups

Dictatorship

power is gained and held by a single individual. Rare because all rulers need the support of the military and of business elites to maintain their position

Rational-legal authority (bureaucratic)

power legitimized by law or written rules and regulations. Based on an organizational structure that includes a clearly defined division of labor, hierarchy of authority, formal rules, and impersonality (president)

Authority

power that people accept as legitimate rather than coercive

Military Juntas

result when military officers seize power from the government