Topic > The Role of Political Culture in the United States

Political culture is very important because it gives voice power to ordinary citizens. Daniel Elazar realized that the United States could be classified into three different political cultures. These categories are moralistic, traditionalist and individualistic. These cultures were originally formed by immigrants who settled in different areas of the states. This has brought a great deal of different cultures, morals and values ​​into the political perspective. These classifications have a different role in showing the voice of both government and citizens. Daniel Elazar has classified Texas political culture as individualistic and traditionalist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Individualistic culture views government as a tool for using the system to improve one's own needs rather than those of the community. Citizens in individualistic culture engage in politics to advance their personal interests. “Every man for himself” would initially be the phrase they use. Furthermore, Elazar's point of view shows that people in this culture do not care about the best good and can be called dirty business. Moralistic political culture believes that by involving the community, a better governed environment will be shown to result. The role of governments, in this case, is to provide for the best good. While the role of the citizen is to engage in civic affairs. Finally, traditionalist cultures are designed to reserve special benefits for the elite and the wealthy. In simpler terms, it can be seen as a country club. Only the rich can enter and it is the rich who compete with each other for power. The government's role in this is to maintain the status quo. People outside this community have a say in what should be strengthened. In short, Elazar recognized these political cultures and characterized them by some of the traits they represent. Obviously, these political cultures are all different from each other in many ways. In addition to some characteristics they possess, in each of them there is a dominant vision. This includes governments and citizens' views. When talking about individualistic political culture it is easy to see that the dominant vision of governments is limited. This is because they need to keep the market running. Citizens do not get much from this culture. First of all because the main role is to get that title. Help yourself instead of groups. On the other hand, moralistic political culture has a balance when it comes to the dominant opinions of both the government and the opinions of citizens. Because this culture is focused on citizens engaging in civic affairs, it increases the chances that the community will actually improve each other rather than focusing on themselves. The government appreciates the role taken by citizens because it enhances the benefits of belonging to this culture. More or less, this community is more likely to thrive when it comes to being morally right. Otherwise, citizens of a traditionalist political culture cannot always claim to have their fair and just share of the title. All in all, in every culture there is a dominant view regarding government and citizens. According to Elezar, Texas contains a traditionalist and individualistic political culture. When it comes to individualistic culture, Texas is known to be a part of it as it is western frontier history. Self-confidence, individualism and its characteristics have been a part of Texas culture for a while. Limited government and strong action on private property are major contributors to this.