Critique of Madison's View of Democracy through the Lens of "Civic Culture" (by Almond & Verba) and "Political Order in Changing Societies" (by Huntington)
Critique of Madison's View of Democracy through the Lens of "Civic Culture" (by Almond & Verba) and
"Political Order in Changing Societies" (by Huntington)
1. Read Federalist 010. What does Madison conclude about the existence of factions? What does
Madison believe should be done in order to mitigate their threat to democracy? 2. Using what you
know about Almond and Verba's research in Civic Culture, how would they respond to Madison's
conclusions about factions? Under what circumstances would factions likely undermine the stability
and effectiveness of a democracy? Under what circumstances would factions help stabilize and
strengthen a democratic political system? Think about the different types of partisanship,
political culture, and the roles and expectations of the people in each country that Almond and
Verba studied. 3. Using what you know about Huntington's discussion in Political Order in Changing
Societies about social forces in new countries that were undergoing economic modemization, what
does rapid social change and political mobilization do to the formation and action of social
forces? Why is America's political development different from the political development of newly
industrializing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, according to Huntington? 4. Read
Federalist 451. Explain why Madison believes that the partition of power by the govemment against a
"tyranny of the majority," which would threaten individual liberties. 5. Using what you know about
Almond and Verba's research in Civic Culture about what factors are more likely to contribute to a
stable and effective democracy, how would they respond to Madison's advocacy of the separation of
govemmental units, and govemment protection of civil liberties of the minority? Think about the
different dimensions of a political orientation (described by Almond and Verba) and what a civic
culture is composed of. 6.Using what you know about Huntington's discussion in Political Order in
Changing Societies about Political Institutionalization, how would he respond to Madison's advocacy
of the separation of govemment, system of checks and balances between govemmental units, and
govemment protections of civil liberties of the minority? Why is political institutionalization
important in mitigating the threat of political violence and instability.Necessary Materials:
Federalist no.10 by Madison Federalist no. 51 by Madison The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and
Democracy in Five Nations By Gabriel A Almond, Sidney Verba Newbury Park [u.a.] : Sage, 1996.
Political Order In Changing Societies By Samuel P. Huntington Yale University Press 2006