Geschiedenis in de bieb: "De moderne Amerikaanse politiek"

Lecture 1: Principles of American Politics

In this introductory lecture, the principles of American politics are covered: the Constitution, the separation of powers, the relationship between states and government, the electoral process, the Electoral College, and the origins of the Democratic and Republican parties. From this, it becomes clear that the American system has inherently hampered democracy since its inception, and that this was not a mistake, but a conscious choice of the “Founding Fathers.” It also becomes clear that the two-party system is not a theoretical, but primarily a practical reality—again due to the electoral system, in which not the vote of the people, but that of the electors counts. The lecture concludes with a brief history of the Democrats and Republicans from approximately 1850 to 1980: why these parties were founded, how their ideologies have changed over time, and why they might be better viewed as 'coalitions' rather than parties as we know them.