Some Reflections on American Democratic Theory

In: Political studies, Band 23, Heft 2-3, S. 225-231

Abstract

The main characteristics of democratic theory in the US in the thirty years following 1776 are compared to those of the three decades before 1976. The ideas of the founding fathers were based on the theory of popular sovereignty & the theory of pluralism. These were both accepted in the US mainly due to the widespread belief that most political leaders were basically untrustworthy. Each theory was seen as a means of protecting the populace from such leaders. Currently, these themes are still discussed but with a different emphasis. Popular sovereignty has changed from referring to the sovereignty of the people to emphasizing the virtues of public participation. Sectional & geographic pluralism has been replaced by pressure group pluralism; pluralism in general has been discredited by events such as ideological conflicts & race riots. Political scientists are adopting a more radical stance as exemplified by the work of H. Kariel, P. Bachrach, & T. Lowi. M. Migalski.