Democracy Under Pressure: Introduction to the American Political System - Hardcover

Cummings, Milton C.; Wise, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0155001981 ISBN 13: 9780155001985

Publisher: Thomson Learning, 1993

Synopsis

For 30 years, DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE has provided over a million students with a comprehensive, thorough look at the fundamentals of American government. Cummings and Wise pair lively narrative with exemplary scholarship to convey a balanced, realistic sense of political history and to describe the institutions of American government. The authors treat the theme of democracy under pressure throughout the text, examining the way democracy responds to the needs and demands of various groups over time. The text is developed around a systems approach, a framework of analysis that discusses various elements of the political process in terms of inputs and outputs. Thoroughly rewritten, updated, and streamlined, the authors focus on currency and on the gap between theory and reality in government and the political system. They introduce students to important theoretical concepts while clarifying issues with examples of government in action. Democracy Under Pressure is an excellent primary textbook for introduction to American government courses. It may also be used as a supplementary text for intermediate-level survey courses in American government or other specialized American government course.

About this title

Review

Preface. Part I: THE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. 1. Government and the People. 2. The Constitutional Framework. 3. The Federal System. 4. Civil Liberties and Citizenship. 5. The Struggle for Equal Rights. Part II: POLITICS AND PEOPLE. 6. Public Opinion. 7. Interest Groups. 8. The Media and Politics. 9. Political Parties. 10. Political Campaigns and Candidates. 11. Voting Behavior and Elections. Part III: THE POLICYMAKERS. 12. The Congress. 13. The President. 14. The Bureaucracy. 15. Justice. Part IV: GOVERNMENT IN OPERATION. 16. Foreign Policy and National Security. 17. Government and the Economy. 18. Promoting the General Welfare. Part V: THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY. 19. State and Local Government. Appendices: The Declaration of Independence. The Constitution of the United States of America. Presidents of the United States. Selections from the Federalist Papers. Endnotes. Glossary. Credits. Index. Presidential Election Results, 1940-2004.

About the Author

David Wise is a political writer based in Washington. He is the author or coauthor of ten books on government and politics and is a leading writer on intelligence, espionage, and government secrecy. His articles have appeared in Vanity Fair, the New York Times Magazine, and many other major publications. He is former chief of the Washington bureau of the New York Herald Tribune, a former Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and was a regular weekly commentator on CNN for 6 years. For two years he lectured in political science at the University of California at Santa Barbara. His most recent book, SPY: THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW THE FBI'S ROBERT HANSSEN BETRAYED AMERICA (Random House, 2002), received high praise from reviewers. He is also the author of NIGHTMOVER: HOW ALDRICH AMES SOLD THE CIA TO THE KGB FOR $4.6 MILLION (HarperCollins, 1995), which was excerpted in TIME magazine. He is also co-author of THE INVISIBLE GOVERNMENT, a number-one best-seller about the Central Intelligence Agency that has been widely credited with bringing about a reappraisal of the role of the CIA in a democratic society.

Edition details

• Publisher: Thomson Learning
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0155001981
• ISBN 13: 9780155001985
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 800