Struggle for Democracy, The - Softcover

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Updated in a new 10th edition, The Struggle for Democracy challenges students to think critically about American government and to evaluate the quality of democracy in America within a unique framework that offers a holistic view of our system. Its critical thinking approach to politics, features, and narrative are designed to teach students to look closely and question logically about the American political process.

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Why Do You Need This New Edition?

If you’re wondering why you should buy this new edition of The Struggle for Democracy, here are 10 good reasons!

1. The entire book has been updated to offer coverage of the 2010 national elections, with a special focus on Congress. The causes and likely consequences of the Republican Party’s comeback from its bad defeats in 2006 and 2008 are included in this discussion.
2. Economic trends and events receive particular attention, including globalization and its effects, the mortgage and credit crises, rising gas prices, growing income and wealth inequality, and the ways in which these economic trends shape government action. The various aspects of the Great Recession and jobless recovery that followed are covered thoroughly throughout the textbook, as well as the consequential challenges faced by Democrats and Republicans in Congress and public office alike.
3. The ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; global environmental problems including global warming; ensuring energy supplies; the rise of China, India, and Brazil as major economic powers; nuclear weapons programs in North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran; and the threat posed by a newly resurgent and belligerent Russia highlight new coverage in a greatly expanded chapter on foreign policy and national defense (Chapter 19).
4. The ongoing–and extremely bitter–partisanship that has defined American politics since at least 1994 is examined and evaluated, with special attention to whether the 2010 national elections added to the partisan flavor of our politics or tamped it down.
5. An updated chapter on the budget and economic policies (Chapter 15) offers an overview of the policymaking process, as well as consideration of how the federal government collects revenues, what it spends these revenues on, and with what effects on the well-being of citizens; while a revised and updated chapter on social safety nets (Chapter 18) offers a thorough examination of domestic social insurance programs and need-based social welfare policies, as well as the landmark legislation that will transform America’s health care insurance system.
6. The massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is examined closely because of the issues it raises about federalism, government regulation of business, and trust in government.
7. These is a deeper focus on domestic public policy, partly because of events and developments in the domestic and global economies that would have elicited new government responses no matter which party was in power, and partly because of the broad sweeps wrought by President Barack Obama and the Democratic-led 111th Congress in 2009 and 2010.
8. Much of the narrative is revised with students in mind: in-text explanations have been expanded and revised for clarity, with more key terms highlighted and defined in the glossary. Figures and tables are completely updated.
9. Features throughout the textbook have been expanded and revised to promote critical thinking. Chapter opening elements, section headings, Critical Thinking questions, chapter summaries, and student self-testing features have been designed to enhance the overall learning experience.
10. The popular features By the Numbers and Mapping American Politics have been revised so that virtually every chapter within the textbook has one or the other.