Book: Ch. 1 Flashcards
(123 cards)
Political culture. Though the concept is somewhat open ended, states do often exhibit a distinctive culture that is the “product of their entire history.” Presumably the political culture of a state has an effect on how _____. Political scientist Daniel Elazar has created a classification scheme for state political cultures that is used widely. He uses the concepts of _____ to describe such cultures. These three state political cultures are contemporary manifestations of _____.
- people participate in politics and how individuals and institutions interact
- moralistic, individualistic, and traditionalistic
- the ethnic, socioreligious, and socio- economic differences that existed among America’s original thirteen colonies
According to Elazar, moralistic political cultures were rooted in _____. In such a culture, politics is the concern of _____, and government is expected to _____. Citizen participation in politics is viewed as _____; people are encouraged to _____ in civic activities.
- New England, where Puritans and other religious groups sought to create the Good Society
- everyone
- take action to promote the public good and advance the public welfare
- positive
- pursue the public good
Individualistic political cultures, on the other hand, originated in _____, where Americans sought _____. A state with an individualistic political culture generally places a _____ value on citizen participation in politics. Politics is a matter for _____ rather than for citizens, and the role of government is strictly limited. Government’s role is to _____.
- the middle states
- material wealth and personal freedom through commercial activities
- low
- professionals
- ensure stability so that individuals can pursue their own interests
Traditionalistic political culture developed initially in _____, reflecting the values of [the something economy and its successor] _____. Rooted in preindustrial values that emphasize _____, traditional culture is concerned with the preservation of _____. In such states, public participation is _____ and government is run by _____. Public policies _____ benefit the interests of those elites.
- the South
- the slave plantation economy (pre-1865) and its successor, the Jim Crow era (1876–1965)
- social hierarchy and close interpersonal, often familial, relations among people
- tradition and the existing social order
- limited
- an established elite
- disproportionately
States can, of course, have cultures that combine these concepts. One book classified Colorado, for example, as having a “moralistic” political culture. California was classified as having a “moralistic individualistic” political culture and New York an “individualistic moralistic” culture. New Jersey was classified as “individualistic” and Georgia “traditionalistic.” Florida and Kentucky were seen as “traditionalistic individualistic.” Often Texas is categorized as having a _____ political culture. Taxes are kept ____, and social services are _____. Political elites, such as business leaders, have _____ voice in how the state is run. In spite of the difficulty in measuring the concept of political culture in any empirical way, it is a concept widely regarded as useful in explaining fundamental beliefs about the state and the role of state government.
- “traditionalistic individualistic”
- low
- minimized
- a major
The political culture of a state can change over time. Texas is undergoing dramatic changes, including some change in its political culture. It is also difficult to classify the political culture of a state as large and as diverse as Texas in any one category. In fact, Texas has _____ political cultures or subcultures within its borders.
- many different
Three long-lasting patterns in Texas politics seem to indicate a _____ state political culture. Indeed, political elites interested in limited government with low taxes and few social services _____ Texas politics today. It is also the case that at least some of these characteristics of state politics are undergoing rapid change. We examine these elements of Texas political culture below.
- “traditionalistic individualistic”
2. dominate
For over 100 years, Texas was dominated by the _____ Party. Winning the Democratic Party primary was tantamount to _____. As we will see in later chapters, this pattern no longer holds. During the 1990s substantial competition emerged between the parties for control of the state legislature. Following _____ the Republicans secured a 7-vote majority in the state Senate and a 24-vote majority in the state House. Between 2002 and 2014 all major statewide elected offices were controlled by _____. The question today is not whether the political culture of Texas will continue to be defined by a powerful Democratic Party, but how that culture will be redefined by two forces: [what two forces?] _____.
- Democratic
- winning the general election
- redistricting in 2002
- Republicans
- a powerful Republican Party in most suburban and rural areas and a resurgent Democratic Party in Texas’s most urban counties
A second pattern that once defined Texas political culture is provincialism: _____ [what does provincialism mean?]. The result often was _____ of diversity and a notion of the public interest that _____ social services and expenditures for education. Some of the more popular politicians in Texas have stressed _____ [related to provincialism] rather than policies that might offer advantages to the state as it competes with other states and with other nations. Like the one-party Democratic state, Texas provincialism has _____ as a defining feature of the political culture. _____ have all undercut Texas’s provincialism.
- a narrow view of the world that is often associated with rural values and notions of limited government
- an intolerance
- dismissed
- cornpone—a hickish rural rejection of modern urban lifestyles—intolerance, and a narrow worldview
- faded
- The growing influence of minorities, women, and gays in state politics, increasing urbanization, and Texas’s relevance in the global economy
A third, continuing pattern that has helped define Texas’s political culture is its longtime dominance by _____. Labor unions are rare in Texas except in _____. Other groups that might offer an alternative to a business perspective, such as consumer interests, are _____ [why is their influence negligible compared to big business?]. Business groups are major players in Texas politics, in terms of _____ [how do they achieve their agenda in politics?].
- business
- the oil-refinery areas around Beaumont–Port Arthur
- poorly organized and poorly funded
- campaign contributions, organized interest groups, and lobbyists
This chapter will investigate the economic, social, and demographic changes that transformed Texas’s political culture during the twentieth century. These changes shook Texas government and politics in the _____ and have continued to shape them in the second decade of the twenty-first century.
1990s
Much of Texas’s history and political life has been shaped by the relationship forged between _____. Texas is the _____ state in size, next to Alaska. To understand the dynamics of political life and governance in Texas demands _____ [think: this section is about geography].
- its people and the land
- second-largest
- an appreciation of the vast spaces and topography that define the state
Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Texas’s geography is _____. The longest straight-line distance across the state from north to south is 801 miles; the longest east–west distance is 773 miles. To put this into perspective, the east–west distance from New York City to Chicago is 821 miles, cutting across five different states. The north–south distance between New York City and Charleston, South Carolina, is 763 miles, cutting across six different states.
- its size
Distances alone do not tell the whole story of the diverse geography found in Texas. There are four distinct physical regions in Texas: _____ (Figure 1.1). The distinctive features of these regions have shaped politics in Texas in a number of important ways.
- the Gulf Coastal Plains, the Interior Lowlands, the Great Plains, and the Basin and Range Province
The Gulf Coastal Plains extend from _____ up to _____. As one moves westward, the climate becomes increasingly _____. Forests become less frequent as post oak trees dominate the landscape until they too are replaced by _____.
- the Louisiana border and the Gulf of Mexico, along the Rio Grande
- Del Rio, and northward to the line of the Balcones Fault and Escarpment
- arid
- the prairies and brushlands of central Texas
The eastern portion of the Gulf Coastal Plains—so-called _____—is characterized by _____. Almost all of Texas’s _____ production takes place here. It is also the home of some of Texas’s most famous _____. To the west is the _____. _____ made the Blackland Belt a prime farming area during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was a major center of _____ in Texas. Today it is _____.
- east Texas
- hilly surfaces covered by forests of pine and hardwoods
- timber
- oilfields
- Blackland Belt
- A rolling prairie soil
- cotton production
- the most densely populated area of the state and has a diversified manufacturing base
The Coastal Prairies around Houston and Beaumont were the center for the post–World War II _____. _____ plays a major role in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, while _____ is important in the Rio Grande Plain, an area that receives less than 24 inches of rainfall on average every year and during the summer months experiences rapid evaporation.
- industrial boom, particularly in the petrochemical industry
- Winter-vegetable and fruit production
- livestock
Texas’s political life grew out of _____. The land grants made available to Americans willing to come to Texas in the first half of the nineteenth century were located here. This region was the foundation of [think: what did it look like before the Civil War?]. The Dallas–Fort Worth area is located in the northwestern part of this region, once a bastion of a small Republican Party. A union movement grew out of the industrialized areas along the coast, providing support to a liberal wing of the Democratic Party. For the most part, though, the Gulf Coastal Plains were dominated by _____. _____ in Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth have added new dimensions to the political life of this region. Urban areas have become increasingly _____, while suburban areas have become more _____.
- the Gulf Coastal Plains
- plantation life during the antebellum period when slavery flourished in the state
- rural conservative values, be they located in the Democratic Party (from 1876 to the early 1990s) or in the Republican Party (from the 1990s to today)
- Urbanization and suburbanization
- Democratic
- Republican
The Interior Lowlands are an extension of _____. They are bordered by _____ on the east and south and _____ on the west. Beginning to the west of Fort Worth, the eastern edge of the Interior Lowlands has predominantly an _____ economy and a _____ population. The western portion, meanwhile, rises from 750 to 2,000 feet in elevation. The West Texas Rolling Plains contain much level, cultivable land and are home to a large _____ industry. Many of the state’s largest _____ are located here. The region is dominated by _____ [in politics].
- the interior lowlands that run down from Canada
- the Balcones Escarpment
- the Caprock Escarpment
- agricultural
- rural
- cattle-raising
- ranches
- conservative politics and the Republican Party
Pushing down into northwest Texas from the Rocky Mountains to the Balcones Fault, the Great Plains define ____ [what geography and where? How?]. The major city on the northern plains is _____. _____ production dominate the economy. The southern plains economy centers on _____ production, with Lubbock as the major city. Large-scale _____ has played a major role in the economic development of this region. A major concern of policy makers is that pumping out of the aquifer _____ [does what?], raising questions of the viability of basing future growth on the irrigation practices of the past. We will return to a discussion of the problem of aquifer depletion in the public policy chapter.
- the terrain in much of western Texas, rising from 2,700 feet in the east to more than 4,000 feet along the New Mexico border
- Amarillo
- Ranching and petroleum
- agriculture and cotton
- irrigation from underwater reservoirs, particularly the Ogallala Aquifer,
- exceeds replenishment
As in East Texas, _____ political values have a home in the Interior Lowlands and the Great Plains. While representatives from this area have played a major role in the political life of the state over the last 100 years, their power has been ebbing in the face of _____.
- conservative
2. the population pressures of Texas’s expanding urban areas elsewhere
The fourth geographic region in Texas is the Basin and Range Province. Here one finds Texas’s _____ [distinctive geographical features and border with what state?]. To the southeast is Big Bend country, so named because the Rio Grande River surrounds it on three sides as the river makes its southward swing. Rainfall and population are _____ in this region.
- mountains in the Guadalupe Range along the border with New Mexico, which includes Guadalupe Peak (8,749 feet) and El Capitan (8,085 feet)
- sparse
The area running from the Basin and Range Province to the Lower Rio Grande has always had a distinctive political culture, heavily dominated by the fact that _____. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the Border region, including El Paso, McAllen, and Brownsville, has remained a _____ bastion.
- Texas and Mexico have been joined at the hip economically and demographically
- Democratic Party
The famous twentieth-century economist Joseph Schumpeter characterized the capitalist economic system as being a process of “_____.” By this he meant that _____. These waves of technological transformation were put into place by entrepreneurs who had visions of new ways to produce and distribute goods and services and who were willing to act on those visions. The capitalist process of creative destruction not only creates a new economic and social world; it _____. The world of railroads, steam, and steel transformed American economic and social life by _____. It also destroyed the local markets that had defined rural American communities since the Founding. The technological innovation tied to _____ restructured the American economy again in the 1920s, leaving in its wake a society and an economy that would never be the same.
- creative destruction
- capitalism was an economic system that underwent periodic waves of transformation fueled by technological innovations in production and distribution
- destroys old ones
- nationalizing the market and making new opportunities available to businesses and individuals during the late nineteenth century
- gasoline combustion engines, electricity, and radio