There are four different theories of power within a democracy; Marxism, Elitism, Bureaucratic Elitism, and Pluralism. Marxism is the social, political and economical policies based on social change in terms of economic factors. Elitism is power divided among nongovernmental elites dominating a society and creating policies to benefit themselves. Bureaucratic Elitism is a government that is dominated by appointed officials. Pluralism is different groups in a society competing to create compromise. The theory of power in a democracy that best describes the United States is Pluralism.
The United States is dominated by six different ethnicities; Asian, black, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander and white. Therefore, for all ethnicities to voice their opinions in the government, there must be compromises. An example of a compromise between two major ethnicities is the removal of confederate statues in several states across America. This compromise is one made by the majority of white and black American citizens. Some people have been arguing that the monuments are historically significant while others argued that it promotes white supremacy. New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the first states to take action and remove the monuments. On Friday, New Orleans officially removed the monument of the American general who was in command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the civil war, Robert E. Lee.
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| Workers prepare to take down the statue of Robert E. Lee in New Orleans on Friday, the last of four Confederate-related monuments slated for removal. Gerald Herbert/AP |
The book, Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics, states, "Not only are the elites divided, they are responsive to their followers' interests, and thus they provide representation to almost all citizens affected by a policy." Mitchell Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans has been attentive to his followers requests, he has responded to their interests and provided representation to the citizens that have been effected by the Confederate statues. His response to the monuments states, "These statues are not just stone and metal. They are not just innocent remembrances of a benign history. These monuments celebrate a fictional, sanitized Confederacy; ignoring the death, ignoring the enslavement, ignoring the terror that it actually stood for."
By removing the Confederate statues, the United States power in democracy is best described by pluralism because politicians similar to Landrieu are continuously providing their citizens with representation and creating compromises to the citizens who are effected. Although this is one single example of pluralism, there are a handful more. The United States is dominated by different ethnics, therefore compromises must be happening everyday for each and every citizen to be pleased.
Link for a Video That Further Explains the Topic:
Research:
New Orleans Takes Down Statue Of Gen. Robert E. Lee - www.npr.org
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