GT32P / THE POLITICS OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES

Tutorial Discussion and Essay Questions 
I. Theories & concepts in the study of the politics of industrial societies 

(Some basic questions to consider...)
1. According to some of the major theorists and philosophers of social life, have industrialization and the emergence of market-based corporations tended to strengthen, or to weaken, 'democracy'? 
2. Has the recent 'meltdown' in the global economy affected the way people view the relationship between 'democracy' and 'corporate capitalism'?  If so, how?
3. Would you say the historical pattern of development in modern political systems has been one of linear upwards 'progress' towards modernity, or has it been more 'cyclical' in nature?  Which of these two models/explanations do you feel best fits the evidence for these industrial societies over time?

II. Historical perspective: Politics and social policies in an age of industrial expansion 

(Some basic questions to consider...)
4. How did the historical transition within European and American societies from agriculturally-based 'pre-industrial' to market-oriented 'industrial' economies affect working conditions, the distribution of wealth, attitudes toward the poor and disadvantaged, and approaches to democracy and governance? 
5. Based on Sinclair's THE JUNGLE and other sources, describe the working/living conditions experienced by members of the non-privileged labouring classes during the age of rapid industrial expansion in the U.S.  How did the existence of these social problems contribute to the need for development of 20th century 'welfare state' policies? 

III. Historical perspective: The collapse of laissez faire and the development of 20th century welfare states 

(Some basic questions to consider...)
6. Describe how the 'Great Depression' (and 'New Deal' policy responses to the economic crisis) altered the philosophy of government and political economy within Western industrial societies. What social programs were a product of this era? How were they designed to improve life for working families? 
7. Compare the 'meltdowns' of liberal-capitalist economies within industrial societies in the 1929 and 2008 eras, respectively. What common patterns, and differences, do you see between the 'crashes' that occurred in the two eras?
8. Discuss the major 'movements' that have occurred within industrial societies over the past two centuries, designed to protect/extend the social rights of employees, consumers, the unemployed, retirees, the poor. In what ways were these movements a necessary response to challenges posed by an industrial, market-based economy? (For essays, students may wish to focus on one movement, or type of movement.) 

IV. Political culture in modern industrial societies: comparing European and American models 

(Some basic questions to consider...)
9. What aspects of the U.S. political system (e.g. history, class structure, customs & beliefs, political institutions and processes) would you say best account for the persistent differences in its policies as compared with those of Sweden and other modern industrialized societies? What is 'exceptional' about the U.S. case? 
10. How have health care policy developments in the U.S. differed from those of European and Australasian democracies?

V.  Historical perspective: The "revolt of the haves" - backlash, welfare-state retrenchment, deregulation and privatization in the Reagan-Thatcher era 

(Some basic questions to consider...)
11. What social forces resulted in the 'revolt of the haves' during the Thatcher-Reagan era in European and American societies? Were neoliberal policies 'new' or 'old' historically? What criticisms of 'Reaganomics' and 'Thatcherism' were raised by their opponents? 

VI.  Historical perspective: The "Great Recession" of 2008-10 - collapse of the global neoliberal consensus, and the search for more balanced public-private alternatives

(Some basic questions to consider...)
12. Compare the 'meltdowns' of liberal-capitalist economies within industrial societies in the 1929 and 2008 eras, respectively. What common patterns, and differences, do you see between the 'crashes' that occurred in the two eras?

VII. Elections, public opinion, and mass media in modern industrial societies (part I) 

(Some basic questions to consider...)
13. Discuss the dynamics of the recent 2009 election contest in Japan. What were some of the key differences between the candidates, and between the parties, with respect to basic philosophies and policies of modern industrial democracy? 
14. Discuss the dynamics of the 2008 national election contest in the United States. What were some of the key dfferences between the candidates, and between the parties, with respect to basic philosophies and policies of modern industrial democracy? 

VIII. Elections, public opinion, and mass media in modern industrial societies (part II) 

(Some basic questions to consider...)
15. Discuss the process of holding elections and reporting election news and opinion in modern American and European societies. Have new electoral and communications technologies strengthened or weakened the democratic process for ordinary citizens? 
16. How have successive changes in the 'means of communication' affected the potential for democracy in modern industrialized societies? What have been some of the consequences of the historical transitions from oral, to typograhic, to radio, to television, to computers and the internet? How have these affected the relationship between citizens, governments and corporations? 

IX. Contemporary critiques of industrial society

(Some basic questions to consider...)
17. Discuss some of the main ideas and evidence being argued by current advocates of 'ecological' and 'social democratic' alternatives to the industrial-market model as a blueprint for modern societies.