The Just Cause: How the American Public supports War

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book The Just Cause: How the American Public supports War by Michael Schmid, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Schmid ISBN: 9783638738910
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: April 28, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Michael Schmid
ISBN: 9783638738910
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: April 28, 2007
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Sociology - War and Peace, Military, grade: 1,0, Indiana University (Sociology Department ), course: S 660: Politics and Public Opinion Research, 10 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Information and statistics about how a great part of the American public felt about certain issues concerning their life or the nation have not been available for very long. Even in the absence of data there have been vast speculations and reports by the news media on public opinion regarding specific policy decisions by the government. In the maiden decades of the republic policymakers and businessmen were always trying to grasp what the public mood was with respect to a particular event or decision. Yet due to the poorly developed infrastructure and lack of technological innovations at that time it was nearly impossible to find out what the thoughts of a larger part of the population were in a reasonable matter of time. The 'scientific' public opinion polling that is taking for granted today is not that old. The American Institute of Public Opinion, more commonly known as the Gallup poll, came into existence in 1935 just in time for the 1936 presidential election between Roosevelt and Landon. The Literary Digest, just as the American Institute, attempted to predict the winner of the 1936 election with the data they collected during their research polling. In the end, the Gallup poll was more accurate and predicted with Franklin Roosevelt the correct winner of the election even though the survey was conducted with fewer respondents but with a much more representative selection. Had the Literary Digest been right in its analysis maybe today's standard polling procedures would be somewhat different.A much older tradition in the history of the United States is the debate about the merits of public participation, majority rule and popular sovereignty. It is a debate as old as the nation about the definition of the proper role of public opinion on affairs of the national government. In this context the emphasis is especially on affairs of foreign policy, issues about military operations in particular. Ole Holsti identifies the two traditions American thought which define both sides. On the one hand there is a long liberal tradition in the United States which characterizes public opinion as 'a force for enlightenment and a necessary if not sufficient condition for sound foreign policy and thus a significant contributor to peaceful relations among nations.' On the other hand there is a long realist tradition which sees the public as a 'source of emotional and shortsighted thinking that can only impede the effective pursuit and defense of vital national...

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Sociology - War and Peace, Military, grade: 1,0, Indiana University (Sociology Department ), course: S 660: Politics and Public Opinion Research, 10 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Information and statistics about how a great part of the American public felt about certain issues concerning their life or the nation have not been available for very long. Even in the absence of data there have been vast speculations and reports by the news media on public opinion regarding specific policy decisions by the government. In the maiden decades of the republic policymakers and businessmen were always trying to grasp what the public mood was with respect to a particular event or decision. Yet due to the poorly developed infrastructure and lack of technological innovations at that time it was nearly impossible to find out what the thoughts of a larger part of the population were in a reasonable matter of time. The 'scientific' public opinion polling that is taking for granted today is not that old. The American Institute of Public Opinion, more commonly known as the Gallup poll, came into existence in 1935 just in time for the 1936 presidential election between Roosevelt and Landon. The Literary Digest, just as the American Institute, attempted to predict the winner of the 1936 election with the data they collected during their research polling. In the end, the Gallup poll was more accurate and predicted with Franklin Roosevelt the correct winner of the election even though the survey was conducted with fewer respondents but with a much more representative selection. Had the Literary Digest been right in its analysis maybe today's standard polling procedures would be somewhat different.A much older tradition in the history of the United States is the debate about the merits of public participation, majority rule and popular sovereignty. It is a debate as old as the nation about the definition of the proper role of public opinion on affairs of the national government. In this context the emphasis is especially on affairs of foreign policy, issues about military operations in particular. Ole Holsti identifies the two traditions American thought which define both sides. On the one hand there is a long liberal tradition in the United States which characterizes public opinion as 'a force for enlightenment and a necessary if not sufficient condition for sound foreign policy and thus a significant contributor to peaceful relations among nations.' On the other hand there is a long realist tradition which sees the public as a 'source of emotional and shortsighted thinking that can only impede the effective pursuit and defense of vital national...

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book The Relevance of a New Literacy in the Information Age by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Giving presentations: with focus on international audiences by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Der Zugang von Frauen zum Heer aus innerstaatlicher und europarechtlicher Sicht by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Multiple Iago - The Character and Motives of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Unique IT environment of Ukraine by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Trabajo infantil by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Child Sexual Abuse and Mental Disorder by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Voluntary Implementation of IFRS in German Non-Listed Companies by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Life-Cycle Investing by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book The Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book The History of Prohibition in the USA by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Analysing Blends by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Vampirism. An Evolution from Myth to Societal Hype by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book Can static type systems speed up programming? An experimental evaluation of static and dynamic type systems by Michael Schmid
Cover of the book The Origins of Euphemisms and Swear Words in the English Language by Michael Schmid
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy