Term Paper on "Politics Heywood Describes a Number of Views"

Quoted Instructions for "Politics Heywood Describes a Number of Views" Assignment:

Heywood describes a number of views of the state. Which do you prefer and why(I have a more liberal viewpoint)?

The State

The concept of the state is central to political science. As Heywood notes, *****politics is often understood as the study of the state.***** (p. 85) Because the state has so much explanatory work to do in political science, it necessarily carries a number of different functions and meanings. International law defines a state as an entity that possesses a defined territory and population, an effective government, and the capacity to engage in relations with other states. This definition tells us how to recognize a state, but it tells us little about what the state does. Heywood identifies five features of the state:

(1) The state is sovereign, meaning that it has authority over its territory and citizens;

(2) State institutions are public, in contrast to private actors (like businesses, clubs, or families);

(3) The state carries out functions of legitimation. By virtue of its sovereignty, the state has the *****final word***** in any dispute within its territory or among its citizens.

(4) The state can dominate other actors because it holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of force.

(5) The state is territorial. If we think of the state as a person, its territory is like its body.

The state is distinct form the government. The state includes, and acts through, the government, but the state endures through changes of government (think of how the United States endures an a state even through changed in political control), making the state broader than the government.

What is the nature of the state?

Does the state serve the interests of all citizens, the interests of a particular group, or its own interests? The answer to that question depends on the ideology we employ to consider the state. Heywood offers four models of the state:

(1) The Pluralist State

This view grows out of liberalism as a political ideology. Recall that in liberalism, the focus is on the individual and that individual*****s rights and freedoms. Because the individual has the right to hold his or her own beliefs, the role of the state requires that the state remain neutral among these beliefs. While its citizens may be Christian, Jewish, or Buddhist, to name only a few possibilities, the state must not endorse any of these values. In this manner, the state permits pluralism among its citizens.

Because the state does not *****take sides***** among citizens***** beliefs and values, it can play the role of neutral arbiter among competing claims and interests. The state protects the common good, rather than the private good of any individual or group. The state has no interests of its own.

(2) The Capitalist State

In contrast to the pluralist view, which sees the state as neutral, the Marxists see the state as reflecting the interests of a particular economic class. The state cannot be neutral *****“ it inevitable represents the some economic class or another. As Heywood notes, there are really two views of the state within Marxism. In the first, the state is dependent on the bourgeoisie, the dominant economic class. The second view sees the state as potentially neutral and possibly representing the interests of the proletariat and comes out of Marx*****s discussion of revolutionary France.

We can reconcile these two views as follows: for Marx, the nature of the state depends upon class relationships. Where one class dominates another, the state reflects and reinforces that domination. This is why Marxists refer to the post-revolution state as the dictatorship of the proletariat. Once common ownership eliminates class conflict, Marx predicted, the state would wither away.

(3) The Leviathan State

Thomas ***** referred to the state as a Leviathan *****“ literally, a monster. The right sees the state in much the same way, as an overwhelming entity with the power to dominate individuals. The Leviathan state seeks to intrude into every aspect of individuals***** lives.

In contrast to the Marxist view, which attributes the state*****s behavior to the interests of the dominant class, this view sees the government and those who hold office as having their own interests, principally in the maintenance and enlargement of government, which drive the growth of the state. Because conservatives believe that individuals can better create economic growth, they object to government infringement on individuals***** natural freedom.

(4) The Patriarchal State

Within the feminist movement, there are a number of ideologies. From these emerge two major feminist understandings of the state. The liberal feminist view incorporates the liberal view of the state as neutral. These feminists recognize a lack of equal opportunity for women, but they believe that reform is possible and that these reforms can create equality of opportunity between men and women.

The radical feminist view sees the state as a tool of patriarchy. Just as Marxists see the state as a tool of the dominant economic class, radical feminists see the state as an agent of the dominant gender or, at least, as shaped by larger patterns of patriarchy. The state is *****masculine***** in significant ways according to this view.

These conceptions of state power reflect the differences among ideologies. These ideologies also contain within them views of the ideal state and the role it should play in our lives. We can describe these states as minimal, developmental, social-democratic, collectivized, and totalitarian.

(1) Minimal State *****“ This view of the state emerges from classical liberalism, and is exemplified by Locke*****s writings. The state performs few functions. It protects its citizens from each other and from external attack, but it does little more. In this view *****“ embraced by American conservatives *****“ other social functions are best left to the private sector.

(2) Developmental State *****“ Developmental states are more interventionist than minimal states, meaning that they take a more active role in regulating society and the economy. This type of state will intervene in the economy for particular purposes, often in an effort to coordinate economic activity for some specific purpose, frequently a national priority.

(3) Social-democratic State *****“ These states also intervene in the economic sector, but they do so to mitigate the effects of capitalism. Even Marx believed that capitalism was extremely efficient at generating wealth, but absent government intervention this wealth will be distributed very unevenly. The social-democratic state steps in to alleviate these inequalities.

(4) Collectivized State *****“ Developmental and social-democratic states intervene in a mostly free economy. In a collectivized state, like that favored by Marxists, the state controls the entire economy. Also called a planned economy, the state plans the entire range of economic production.

(5) Totalitarian State *****“ These states control not just the economy, but all aspects of individuals***** lives. The fictional case of Gilead from The Handmaid*****s Tale exemplifies this type of state.