CHAPTER 1
Freedom, Order, or Equality?
⬜ Learning Outcomes
LO 1.1 The Globalization of American Government
Define globalization and explain how globalization affects American politics and government.
LO 1.2 The Purposes of Government
Identify the purposes that government serves and trace their historical roots.
LO 1.3 A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Government
Describe how political scientists use concepts to structure events and promote understanding.
LO 1.4 The Concepts of Freedom, Order, and Equality
Define freedom, order, and equality and discuss the various interpretations of each value.
LO 1.5 Two Dilemmas of Government
Analyze the inherent conflicts between freedom versus order and freedom versus equality.
LO 1.6 Ideology and the Scope of Government
Distinguish among these terms: totalitarianism, socialism, capitalism, libertarianism, and anarchism.
LO 1.7 American Political Ideologies and the Purpose of Government
⬜
Explain how liberals, conservatives, libertarians, and communitarians view the role of government.
Summary Overview
The era of globalization has deeply impacted governance in the United States. In so doing, it has affected
the relationship between an individual and his/her sovereign government. Thus, one of the principal
challenges of modern democracy lays in having to make difficult choices. These choices can bring one’s
core values into discord. This chapter outlines a normative framework for analyzing the policy choices
that develop through the pursuit of the purposes of government.
One choice those in government must make is how much national sovereignty should be yielded to
international law. As globalization tends to erode national sovereignty, choices must be made as to how
much authority should be given to international laws and institutions. Therefore, one must understand the
impact of politics abroad on the United States and conversely, the role of politics in the United States on
governments abroad.
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
,2
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
While many individuals see a variety of purposes for government, we identify three major purposes of
government: maintaining order, providing public goods, and promoting equality. The pursuit of these
objectives inevitably creates two tensions democratic governments must negotiate. The first is the classic
conflict between freedom and order. The second is the modern conflict between freedom and equality.
Seemingly every dilemma in American political life can be observed through the prism of this conflict.
Many people use a political ideology to help create a framework to resolve the conflicts that arise in such
conflicts. Ideologies define the scope and purpose of government. On the polar end of the political
continuum is totalitarianism, which stands opposite of anarchism. Totalitarianism supports government
intervention in every aspect of society, whereby anarchism rejects government entirely. Libertarianism
and communitarians serve as more moderate variations of these two extremes. Libertarians prefer a
small government with regard to both social and economic policy. On the other hand, communitarians
prefer a large role for government in both the economic and social spheres.
Whereas totalitarianism refers to government in general, socialism pertains to government's role in the
economy. Socialism, similar to communism, is an economic system based on Marxist theory in which
the scope of government extends to ownership or control of the basic industries that produce goods and
services. Most communist governments in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries leaned towards
totalitarianism, controlling not just the economic life of its citizens, but also their political and social life
through a dominant Communist Party organization. Some socialist governments, however, practice
democratic socialism, guaranteeing civil liberties and permitting citizens to determine the extent of
government activity through free elections and competitive political parties.
In American politics, we use the terms liberal and conservative to denote a narrower range toward the
center of the political continuum. Conservatives typically want less government in the economic sphere
and more government involvement in the social sphere. Conservatives want smaller government budgets
and fewer government programs. They support the original purpose of government and tend to want to
preserve traditional patterns of social relations. Classical liberalism grew out of the ideas of English
philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) whose defense of property rights became linked with safeguards for
individual liberty to influence the Declaration of Independence and its famous phrase identifying "Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" as "unalienable Rights" rights of citizens under the Constitution.
The economic principles of classical 18th century liberalism are more closely associated with
contemporary conservatives than contemporary liberals in American politics. Conversely, contemporary
liberals tend to desire more government involvement in the economic sphere and less in the social sphere.
In other words, both ideologies desire a combination of small and large government, with a shifting
emphasis as to where that involvement should be. Alternately, libertarians and communitarians are
consistent in that one wants a small government in nearly all situations, and the other wants a large
government in nearly every situation. Libertarians and liberals are in agreement with regard to social
policy, and libertarians and conservatives tend to agree on economic matters. Communitarians tend to
agree with liberals regarding a large role for government in economic matters, and they tend to agree with
⬜
conservatives regarding a high level of government involvement in social policy.
Chapter Outline
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, 3
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
I. The Globalization of American Government
II. The Purposes of Government
A. Maintaining Order
B. Providing Public Goods
C. Promoting Equality
a. Redistributing Income
b. Other Policies
III. A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Government
IV. The Concepts of Freedom, Order, and Equality
A. Freedom
B. Order
C. Equality
V. Two Dilemmas of Government
A. The Original Dilemma: Freedom versus Order
B. The Modern Dilemma: Freedom versus Equality
VI. Ideology and the Scope of Government
A. Totalitarianism
B. Socialism
C. Capitalism
D. Libertarianism
E. Anarchism
F. Liberals and Conservatives: The Narrow Middle
VII. American Political Ideologies and the Purpose of Government
A. Liberals versus Conservatives: The New Differences
⬜
B. A Two-Dimensional Classification of Ideologies
Teaching Tools
MindTap Activities
The following activities for the MindTap in this chapter can be used either in the classroom or assigned as
homework.
Watch and Consider: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
Watch a brief video and examine the conflicts that occur among fundamental political values.
Challenge Accepted
Take the challenge and explore the theme introduced at the beginning of the chapter.
Focus Activities: Freedom, Order, or Equality
Examine topics related to understanding the United States as a democratic republic.
Wrap It Up Quiz
Test your understanding of the facts, themes, and concepts covered in the chapter.
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, 4
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
Adaptive Test Prep
Create customized practice quizzes to prepare for your exam.
The Globalization of American Government
Learning Outcome 1.1: Define globalization and explain how globalization affects American politics
and government.
Critical Thinking Question:
Should the U.S. government be willing to reduce its own emphasis on national sovereignty if, at the same
time, the U.S. intervenes in the affairs of other countries? Should a predetermined set of conditions apply
before the U.S. government intervenes in the affairs of other countries, or should the U.S. consider each
case individually?
What are some ways in which globalization limits national sovereignty? In which cases are the outcomes
of these limitations positive or negative? Do the positive outcomes outweigh the negative outcomes?
Lecture Launcher:
Discuss the role that globalization played in the controversy regarding the working conditions accorded to
Chinese workers by Foxconn, one of Apple’s main subcontractors for building its products. Ask to
students to go to the following link describing the controversy involving the working conditions of
Foxconn's Chinese workers, http://www.bbc.com/news/business-19699156.
In-Class Activity:
Divide the class into four groups and instruct each group to develop guidelines for U.S. intervention
(militarily, diplomatically, or economically) based on the following subjects (provide specific context as
desired):
Group 1: A highly populated East Asian economic power is violating established environmental
protection protocols by over-polluting the environment through industrial production.
Group 2: A Middle-Eastern country (who maintains an uneasy alliance with the U.S.) is harboring a
fugitive wanted for questioning in relation to a terrorist attack on the United States.
Group 3: A Central American country has continuously refused to crack down on the production of
narcotics that are routinely smuggled into the United States.
Group 4: An African country has begun a policy of systematic violence towards its citizens, and
especially against those citizens who disagree with the ideologies of the political leader.
The Purposes of Government
Learning Outcome 1.2: Identify the purposes that government serves and trace their historical roots.
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Freedom, Order, or Equality?
⬜ Learning Outcomes
LO 1.1 The Globalization of American Government
Define globalization and explain how globalization affects American politics and government.
LO 1.2 The Purposes of Government
Identify the purposes that government serves and trace their historical roots.
LO 1.3 A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Government
Describe how political scientists use concepts to structure events and promote understanding.
LO 1.4 The Concepts of Freedom, Order, and Equality
Define freedom, order, and equality and discuss the various interpretations of each value.
LO 1.5 Two Dilemmas of Government
Analyze the inherent conflicts between freedom versus order and freedom versus equality.
LO 1.6 Ideology and the Scope of Government
Distinguish among these terms: totalitarianism, socialism, capitalism, libertarianism, and anarchism.
LO 1.7 American Political Ideologies and the Purpose of Government
⬜
Explain how liberals, conservatives, libertarians, and communitarians view the role of government.
Summary Overview
The era of globalization has deeply impacted governance in the United States. In so doing, it has affected
the relationship between an individual and his/her sovereign government. Thus, one of the principal
challenges of modern democracy lays in having to make difficult choices. These choices can bring one’s
core values into discord. This chapter outlines a normative framework for analyzing the policy choices
that develop through the pursuit of the purposes of government.
One choice those in government must make is how much national sovereignty should be yielded to
international law. As globalization tends to erode national sovereignty, choices must be made as to how
much authority should be given to international laws and institutions. Therefore, one must understand the
impact of politics abroad on the United States and conversely, the role of politics in the United States on
governments abroad.
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
,2
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
While many individuals see a variety of purposes for government, we identify three major purposes of
government: maintaining order, providing public goods, and promoting equality. The pursuit of these
objectives inevitably creates two tensions democratic governments must negotiate. The first is the classic
conflict between freedom and order. The second is the modern conflict between freedom and equality.
Seemingly every dilemma in American political life can be observed through the prism of this conflict.
Many people use a political ideology to help create a framework to resolve the conflicts that arise in such
conflicts. Ideologies define the scope and purpose of government. On the polar end of the political
continuum is totalitarianism, which stands opposite of anarchism. Totalitarianism supports government
intervention in every aspect of society, whereby anarchism rejects government entirely. Libertarianism
and communitarians serve as more moderate variations of these two extremes. Libertarians prefer a
small government with regard to both social and economic policy. On the other hand, communitarians
prefer a large role for government in both the economic and social spheres.
Whereas totalitarianism refers to government in general, socialism pertains to government's role in the
economy. Socialism, similar to communism, is an economic system based on Marxist theory in which
the scope of government extends to ownership or control of the basic industries that produce goods and
services. Most communist governments in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries leaned towards
totalitarianism, controlling not just the economic life of its citizens, but also their political and social life
through a dominant Communist Party organization. Some socialist governments, however, practice
democratic socialism, guaranteeing civil liberties and permitting citizens to determine the extent of
government activity through free elections and competitive political parties.
In American politics, we use the terms liberal and conservative to denote a narrower range toward the
center of the political continuum. Conservatives typically want less government in the economic sphere
and more government involvement in the social sphere. Conservatives want smaller government budgets
and fewer government programs. They support the original purpose of government and tend to want to
preserve traditional patterns of social relations. Classical liberalism grew out of the ideas of English
philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) whose defense of property rights became linked with safeguards for
individual liberty to influence the Declaration of Independence and its famous phrase identifying "Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" as "unalienable Rights" rights of citizens under the Constitution.
The economic principles of classical 18th century liberalism are more closely associated with
contemporary conservatives than contemporary liberals in American politics. Conversely, contemporary
liberals tend to desire more government involvement in the economic sphere and less in the social sphere.
In other words, both ideologies desire a combination of small and large government, with a shifting
emphasis as to where that involvement should be. Alternately, libertarians and communitarians are
consistent in that one wants a small government in nearly all situations, and the other wants a large
government in nearly every situation. Libertarians and liberals are in agreement with regard to social
policy, and libertarians and conservatives tend to agree on economic matters. Communitarians tend to
agree with liberals regarding a large role for government in economic matters, and they tend to agree with
⬜
conservatives regarding a high level of government involvement in social policy.
Chapter Outline
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, 3
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
I. The Globalization of American Government
II. The Purposes of Government
A. Maintaining Order
B. Providing Public Goods
C. Promoting Equality
a. Redistributing Income
b. Other Policies
III. A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Government
IV. The Concepts of Freedom, Order, and Equality
A. Freedom
B. Order
C. Equality
V. Two Dilemmas of Government
A. The Original Dilemma: Freedom versus Order
B. The Modern Dilemma: Freedom versus Equality
VI. Ideology and the Scope of Government
A. Totalitarianism
B. Socialism
C. Capitalism
D. Libertarianism
E. Anarchism
F. Liberals and Conservatives: The Narrow Middle
VII. American Political Ideologies and the Purpose of Government
A. Liberals versus Conservatives: The New Differences
⬜
B. A Two-Dimensional Classification of Ideologies
Teaching Tools
MindTap Activities
The following activities for the MindTap in this chapter can be used either in the classroom or assigned as
homework.
Watch and Consider: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
Watch a brief video and examine the conflicts that occur among fundamental political values.
Challenge Accepted
Take the challenge and explore the theme introduced at the beginning of the chapter.
Focus Activities: Freedom, Order, or Equality
Examine topics related to understanding the United States as a democratic republic.
Wrap It Up Quiz
Test your understanding of the facts, themes, and concepts covered in the chapter.
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, 4
Chapter 1: Freedom, Order, or Equality?
Adaptive Test Prep
Create customized practice quizzes to prepare for your exam.
The Globalization of American Government
Learning Outcome 1.1: Define globalization and explain how globalization affects American politics
and government.
Critical Thinking Question:
Should the U.S. government be willing to reduce its own emphasis on national sovereignty if, at the same
time, the U.S. intervenes in the affairs of other countries? Should a predetermined set of conditions apply
before the U.S. government intervenes in the affairs of other countries, or should the U.S. consider each
case individually?
What are some ways in which globalization limits national sovereignty? In which cases are the outcomes
of these limitations positive or negative? Do the positive outcomes outweigh the negative outcomes?
Lecture Launcher:
Discuss the role that globalization played in the controversy regarding the working conditions accorded to
Chinese workers by Foxconn, one of Apple’s main subcontractors for building its products. Ask to
students to go to the following link describing the controversy involving the working conditions of
Foxconn's Chinese workers, http://www.bbc.com/news/business-19699156.
In-Class Activity:
Divide the class into four groups and instruct each group to develop guidelines for U.S. intervention
(militarily, diplomatically, or economically) based on the following subjects (provide specific context as
desired):
Group 1: A highly populated East Asian economic power is violating established environmental
protection protocols by over-polluting the environment through industrial production.
Group 2: A Middle-Eastern country (who maintains an uneasy alliance with the U.S.) is harboring a
fugitive wanted for questioning in relation to a terrorist attack on the United States.
Group 3: A Central American country has continuously refused to crack down on the production of
narcotics that are routinely smuggled into the United States.
Group 4: An African country has begun a policy of systematic violence towards its citizens, and
especially against those citizens who disagree with the ideologies of the political leader.
The Purposes of Government
Learning Outcome 1.2: Identify the purposes that government serves and trace their historical roots.
© 2020 Cengage. All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
