Exam 14: Power and Politics

In contrast to Mills, Domhoff regards the American aristocracy as composing the power elite.

Piven and Cloward, in a historical assessment of government welfare programs, have determined that the government institutes massive aid to the poor only when ________.

The shift from local businesses to large-scale manufacturing during the last half of the nineteenth century saw a concomitant increase in ________ in the economy.

The shift from local business to large-scale manufacturing during the last half of the nineteenth century saw a concomitant increase in government restriction of business.

According to G. William Domhoff, the dominant class is the uppermost social group who are closely knit through________.

A major difference between the views of Mills and Domhoff is Domhoff's assertion that ________ has/have ascended to the apex of power.

According to Barlett and Steele, ______ is a way to get favorable treatment by the Congress and the White House.

The chances of getting killed in the Vietnam War was ________ for the lesser educated than the well-educated.

The psychological characteristics shared by members of the power elite is a result of similar origins and lifestyles.

An oligarchy is a form of government in which the people have the ultimate power.

The ________ model assumes that there are a number of specific interest groups in American society and each group has the power to counteract or neutralize the interest of others.

Explain why the Democratic Representative model does not conform to reality in the United States.

The political system in the United States is undemocratic in many ways and the people, although they do vote for their representatives every few years, are really quite powerless.

Parenti notes that the dominance of the wealthy is ________ when indoctrination to conservative values achieves a consensus among the citizenry concerning the status quo.

Domhoff argues that while policies promoting a strong economy, an adequate defense, and social stability may be beneficial to all people, these policies especially favor the rich.

The two ways of looking at the phenomenon of influencing policy makers represent two fundamental views of the distribution of ________ for the whole society.

Parenti believes that the power elite exists, but he does not see it as organized or conspiratorial, but rather that great power is manifested only through decision making in very large corporations or in government.

Identify which of the following is not a characteristic of the pluralist models.

There is a general principle that applies to the government's relationship to big business in conducting its affairs--business is either ________ or ________ by government.

Critics of his model argue that, although it is true that most persons in institutionally important positions have upper-class backgrounds, Domhoff offers no proof that these people promote the interests of the corporate rich.