argue thatpower (referring to our political system) in the United States is widely distributed. Dahlcontends that several groups (such as the executive branch
the legislative branch
thejudicial branch
interest groups
corporations
voters
and so on) share in thedecision-making process
thereby assuring no single group gets too powerful. Hebelieves the American political system is essentially democratic in practiceâseveralgroups competing to achieve its desired end.So
which is it? Is power dispersed among many or concentrated in the hands of a few?Do we have a functioning democracy or is our democracy a mirage? Which model moreaccurately describes the way power is structured in American societyâthe pluralist orpower-elite model? Choose the model you think most accurately describes thedistribution of power in American society and support your position with a couple ofexamples.The Pluralist Model and the ConstitutionWhen the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution of the United States of America
theywent to great lengths to disperse or balance political power. They didnât want anotherking. They felt the King of Great Britain had had too much power
so they divided thenew American government into three branches (executive
legislative
andjudicial)âeach to check and balance the power of the other. Within the Constitution
they effectively restructured the distribution of power. They believed and hoped the newpolitical structure would eliminate the types of abuses of power suffered under the Kingof Great Britain.The Power-Elite ModelToday
some scholars are questioning whether or not power is dispersed to the point
that even with our tripartite political system
it can deter the abuse of power. ThomasDye (2002)1argues the following:Great power in America is concentrated in a handful of people. A few thousandindividuals out of 281 million Americans decide about war and peace
wages and prices
consumption and investment
employment and production
law and justice
taxes andbenefits
education and learning
health and welfare
advertising and communication
life and leisure. In all societiesâprimitive and advanced
totalitarian and democratic
capitalist and socialistâonly a few people exercise great power. This is true whether ornot such power is exercised in the name of âthe peopleâ(pp. 1)1.Whether you believe that power in America follows the pluralist or the power-elite modelis not so important. It is important
however
that you can understand some of the