Criticisms of US “Democracy”

1. Criticisms of US “Democracy” Lesson Starter • List any criticisms of American democracy you can think of.

2. Learning Intentions I will: • Gain an understanding of the criticisms of US democracy • Be able to answer a knowledge question on this topic

3. Success Criteria I will: • Create a mind-map on the limitations of US democracy • Answer a knowledge question using the PEE technique

4. Criticisms of US “Democracy” Voter apathy – low turnout Difficulties with voter registration Lack of choice of political parties Criticisms of US Democracy Freedom of speech - Treatment of Edward Snowden Campaign Finance – corrupt? Illegal wars – Iraq?

5. Voter Registration • Like in the UK, Americans must be registered if they want to vote in elections • Sometimes this can be difficult and so many potential voters are unable to vote • Only 51% of Hispanic potential voters are registered in the USA • This may be due to language barriers as Spanish rather than English is some people’s first language • This is certainly a limitation of democracy in the USA as many Americans are unable to vote.

6. Lack of choice of parties • There are only 2 main parties in the USA – the Republicans and the Democrats (a “two party system”) • This means that in most US elections there are only two real candidates – one from each party. • This does not offer the US voter much choice and because these parties are so dominant it could be argued that it is undemocratic. • Third strongest party is the Libertarian Party – not a force in US politics. • Some smaller groups have broken from the main parties so that their different views can be heard, for example the Tea Party group is a right-wing group associated with the Republican Party.

7. Campaign Finance – Corrupt? • Campaign finance is a controversial issue in the US • This is about the money which the Democrats and Republicans raise in order to fund their campaigns. • Especially significant in presidential elections • In the 2012 election, President Obama raised $1.2 billion on his campaign and his rival Mitt Romney raised and $1.18 billion. • This suggests that you can “buy your way” into the White House…which is undemocratic.

8. Campaign Finance – Corrupt? • Also, the two parties receive huge donations from individuals and companies. • Sometimes the Republican Party are accused of being “too cosy” with big Oil Companies like Shell. • In 2010, the big oil companies in the US donated £21.8 billion to the Republican Party. • This suggests that companies are expecting something back in return so are bribing politicians to make laws which favour oil companies.

9. Illegal wars - Iraq • The 2003 invasion of Iraq, authorised by US President George Bush, have since been alleged to have been an illegal war. • The invasion was not authorised by the United Nations (UN) and so America broke international law by getting involved. • Hundreds of American soldiers have been killed or wounded in the conflict since 2003 but perhaps they should never have been sent there. • It could be argued that this is a limitation of US democracy as American citizens have been sent to fight and die in a war which many people think should never have taken place.

10. Treatment of Edward Snowden – Freedom of Speech? • In 2013, a computer specialist called Edward Snowden who worked for the CIA leaked classified documents to the press. • It has been called the most significant leak of classified material in US history • He gave documents to newspapers such as the Washington Post which showed that the US government had a global surveillance operation where millions of people’s telephone calls, emails and internet activities were being monitored and recorded. • Many people criticised him for breaking US law but others see him as a hero because he informed the public about things the government were doing that he thought were wrong. • It could be argued then that a limitation of US democracy is that the government is able to keep secrets from the public and prosecute anyone that reveals them – against freedom of speech? • Snowden fled to Russia where he now lives and will almost certainly go to prison if he ever returns to the USA

11. Voter apathy – low turnout • It could be argued that democracy is limited in the US because millions of Americans do not bother to vote. • Only 57.5% of Americans voted in the 2012 Presidential election. • It could be argued that this election was not fully representative of the American public. • The reasons for not voting may be because of voter apathy (not caring) and also because of the language barrier that Hispanic voters are faced with. • In addition, many Americans see politicians as corrupt and do not thing their vote will change anything. • Turnout in local elections and state elections is significantly lower in many states such as Hawaii. • Perhaps this is a limitation of US democracy as not all Americans actually take part.

12. Knowledge Question • Explain, in detail, why some citizens from a world power you have studied may criticise their government for the limitations placed on their political rights. (8 marks)

14. Knowledge Question • For a world power you have studied, explain the extent to which democracy exists. (8 marks)