History and Political Science - Assignment Example

History and Political Science Q Citizenship is the of character of an individual with regard to the functions of a citizen. This is the best definition because it encompasses the possession of rights and privileges of a citizen. Q 2. The factors which influence the socialization of citizens in politics include mass media, religion, education, age, race, environment and family. The media can easily influence a person’s political inclination depending on personal beliefs and dogma. The power of media, as a source of credibility, is a tool of political persuasion. The linkage between politics and media has not been explored extensively with a little research connecting the two. It is important to research on the extent to which persuasion in news media depends on the viewers and listeners attitudes towards the news media as an association. One source confirms that people who trusted the media were susceptible to agenda settings from media information. Other studies show that people tend to adopt the position of media hosts, especially where the host is trustworthy and knowledgeable (Wasserstrom 25). During the political campaigns, media houses carry out pre-polling surveys and provide statistics to the public. In some cases, media gives factual results and in some cases non- factual. Politicians’ incentives lead them to favor information sources they can control and try to reduce the influence of sources affiliated with rival political factions or with no faction (Wasserstrom 34). This is done to counteract negative publicity as portrayed by rival politicians in the same race for a political seat. As a way of influencing the public’s behavior on the main Election Day, the majority of the public adopts the media’s story and votes for or against the particular candidate. In examining press freedom, media houses are allowed by law to filter the information they share with public to suit a particular interest so long as the interest is not meant to cause violence or harm to the public. Professional journalism is the only way to ensure credibility in the media to gain public trust. An attempt to understand media freedom introduces media pluralism, which a few people would oppose in principle. The media have allowed access to a broad range of cultural expressions and political views, which constitute the fundamental policies of the media policy which directly link media with democracy (Wasserstrom 54). This views that media pluralism as a political, theoretical, or empirical approach, which is believed to embody the central conflicts in modern thinking about the societal role of media. Religion contributes in the creation of the collective consciousness of the faithful, which builds strong religious bonds among the Christians. Religion has its own established institutional frameworks which immensely contribute in the enactment of laws and maintenance of peace and order in a nation. Moreover, the religious institutions influence the economic status of nations given that the church and society are inseparable. Religion also plays a role in the rehabilitation programs of errant members of society, hence enhancing peace and order in the society. This results in reduction of crime rate and increase in economic activities. This results from the small scale entrepreneurship and farming done by the rehabilitated criminals. Education contributes to proficient communication, which influences the socialization of citizens in politics. For instance, verbal communication is sufficient in communication, hence communication through writing is also emphasized. This is because communicating verbally enhances stressing of points and it is more lively compared to the written communication. The average people realize that communication through writing enables people to appreciate social interactions. In addition, the latter provides a record of events, thus in case there is a need for information reference can be made easily to the documented written document. The majority of people in both forms of communication in order to have a complete communication. Communication through writing determine how verbal communication will occur. This is because it communicates factual information. This prepares people on how to react emotionally, psychologically and intellectually, to a specific set of information especially on political forums. This in effect, contributes to political persuasion in a society. Literacy is acquired through education thus many citizens get enlightened of favorable political inclinations. The age of citizens is very crucial. Age and experience greatly influence the political socialization of a citizen. Young people are full of novel business ideas and, are flexible in their operation compared to the older people. The age of a person reflects the experience one has gained in political matters. Therefore, this is determining factor for successful political socialization. A citizen ought to have experience on the issues pertaining to politics. Wasserstrom asserts that a society must be able to forecast future trends of its people in order to make advance preparation and budgeting for externalities (54). Q 3. Voting in the USA is phenomenal. This country is a, federation hence officials are elected at the national level, state and local level. The president of the US is elected indirectly by an electoral college. The Americans vote according to the majority vote in every state. The members of congress are all directly elected by the people of America. The holders often many offices of the states including the legislature and gubernatorial offices, are also directly elected by majority rule during every election. Other officials are also elected at the local level to spearhead the growth and development agendas at the local level. In addition, other elective offices exist in the county and city levels. Officials of these offices are elected to fill these positions every election year. Election year is usually after every four years. An estimate of one million offices is left vacant after the expiry of four years of service. Q 4. Pluralism and elitism are concepts which are concerned with the distribution of power. The plural theory is a form of government whereby all participants have equal status regardless of power or social class. Pluralism accommodates people of all walks especially the poor. On the other hand, the elitist theory favors the rich and the powerful in society. This group influences the political environment given their high social class and influence. According to Wasserstrom pluralism emphasizes on the immaterial power (56). Power includes political influence, religion, skills and persuasive power. The power is equally distributed to the members of the society hence mimicking communism. This theory also postulates that there is no person who leads any social contract given that all members are equal in all aspects. Potential power is emphasized in both theories. It is argued that potential power is greater than the actual power exhibited by the people. The only weakness of the pluralism theory is hyper pluralism whereby the people feel that they are denied power hence they oppose the government of the day in order to vent their displeasure. This culminates in instability of the government because it is compelled to yield to the needs of the masses even when resources are limited. The elitist theory emphasizes on material power and it stipulates that the people who have possessions have to be successful in all their endeavors. In addition, this person must be rulers of the poor folks in order to make their possessions count. The aspect of superiority is given priority in this theory. Achievements are highly regarded given that they elevate a person’s social status to a higher status. The theory also presumes that common people are termed as common because they lack superiority. Wasserstrom posits that the theory stresses that there is a need for people to be subjected to the authority of the elite group (60). This is the position held by the elitists given that the affluent have much to lose in the event of failure of a social contract. In this regard, they deserve to be given reverence and honor as the powerful people within the social contract. The elitist group will always cling to power because of the possession and multiplication of wealth of the high social class people. Q 5. The features of a statesman leader include innovativeness, conflict resolution, pushing through, peacemaking and problem solving. The leader must have innovative skills in order to inspire his subjects for a common course. In addition, the statesman must be able to amicably resolve conflicts among his subjects. The leader must also manage to enable the suffering to push through their predicaments. Wasserstrom asserts that a statesman must be a problem solver in order to be relevant to his subjects (67). Furthermore, the leader ought to broker peace at every opportune moment in order to create order among his subjects. Q 6. Demagogue refers to a leader who wields power through people’s emotions and appeals. This is usually a leader of the common people. This is a leader who wins the support of the masses of people through oratory prowess and charisma. This kind of leader usually capitalizes on the ignorance of his subjects in order to win their support. The leader’s unscrupulous nature helps him to lure many into his ideologies and dogma. The factors which motivate the Demagogues include selfishness, crave for power, and the audience. Selfishness drives the leader into deceiving the vulnerable audience in order to gain their support for selfish agendas. The other motivating factor is craving for power. Demagogue yearns to obtain power and reverence by the people hence he must explore all means available to achieve this objective. Q 7. The major core values include collaboration, continuous learning, diversity and inclusion, focus on assets and integrity. Collaboration entails facilitation, negotiation, consensus and empowering other people. Integrity is also a crucial aspect of human operations given that it leads to transparency and morality within the society. The focus on assets enables an individual to be accountable to his subjects. Security pursuit is a practice of firms aimed at protecting their reputation and system. This helps in the sustenance of the systems of an organization. Q 8. Pursuit of prosperity refers to the practice and pursuit of ways of acquiring wealth on a continuous basis. Capitalism is an issue when discussing the pursuit of prosperity because this principle requires equitable distribution of resources to the populace especially the externalities. Q 9. The French and the American Revolution were as a result of enlightenment ideals. According to Wasserstrom, these ideals highlighted the importance of equity and natural rights (76). The leadership in these countries was repressive during the resolutions. However, the political climates during this period differed in both countries. The aspect of the race determined the political inclination of citizens. Racism resulted in lower social class folk. This was manifested in the subjection of the disenfranchised group to an unjust administrative political structure during both revolutions. The dominated was disfranchised and disregarded in political affairs. In fact, many citizens were viewed as having a cascading effect on politics; hence, measures were put in place to sideline low social class group in political affairs. The lower social class was faced with numerous court cases like the case aimed at eliminating their bid for social justice and inclusion in the US revolution. The environment played an important role for the political class during both revolutions. For instance, the societal values influence the manner in which the people embraced both revolutions. Q 10. The most common causes of revolution include the imbalance of power, especially when the incumbent is in possession of disproportionate wealth. The inequality of power can be caused by the authorities’ usurping of powers hence overstepping their mandate. Classical and modern theories relate to the management organizations. Classical theory entails rues of management and organization, which can apply across the board. Modern theories postulate that management and organization policies’ application is continental. Q 11. Just war doctrine refers to the aspect of military ethics relating to roman philosophies. This doctrine postulates that violence in conflicts must comply with philosophical criteria. Work Cited Wasserstrom, Jeffrey N. Human Rights and Revolutions. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007. Print. Read More