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Unit 4: Political Culture

of their argument is that “if all people spoke the same language, or had the same religion, or Notes
belonged to the same race, all the diversity and cultural richness that these differences represent
would be lost.”
It is true that the stability of Anglo-American political systems may be described as a result of the
factor of cultural homogeneity, but it would be a mistake to agree with the view of Parsons and
Sutton that societies may be divided into two categories—industrial and agricultural—and that a
uniform value system.

4.2 Mapping the Three Levels of Political Culture

A nation’s political culture includes its citizens’ orientations toward three levels: the political system,
the political and policymaking process, and policy outputs and outcomes (Table 4.1). The system
level involves the citizens’ and leaders’ views of the values and organizations that comprise the
political system. Do citizens identify with the nation and accept the general system of government?
The process level includes expectations of how politics should function, and individuals’ relationship
to the political process. The policy level deals with citizens’ and leaders’ policy expectations from the
government. What are the government’s policy goals and how are they to be achieved?

Table 4.1: The Aspects of Political Culture

Aspects of Political Culture Examples
System Pride in nation
National identity
Legitimacy of government
Process Role of citizens
Perceptions of political rights
Policy Role of government
Government policy priorities

The System Level
Orientations toward the political system are important because they tap basic commitments to the
polity and the nation. Feelings of national pride are a revealing example of this aspect of the
political culture. National pride seems strongest in nations with a long history that has emphasized
feelings of patriotism—the United States is a prime example. Such a common sense of identity and
national history is often what binds a people together in times of political strain. High levels of
pride exist in nations with much different political and economic systems, such as the United
States and Poland. In contrast, national pride is low in Japan and Germany, two nations that have
avoided nationalist sentiments in reaction to the pre-World War II regimes and their excesses. In
other cases, ethnicity, language, or history divide the public, which may strain national identities
and ultimately lead to conflict and division.
The legitimacy of the political system also provides a foundation for a successful political process.
When citizens believe that they ought to obey the laws, then legitimacy is high. If they see no
reason to obey, or if they comply only from fear, then legitimacy is low. Because it is much easier
for government to function when citizens believe in the legitimacy of the political system, virtually
all governments, even the most brutal and coercive, try to make their citizens believe that the laws
ought to be obeyed. A political system and a government with high legitimacy will be more
effective in making and carrying out policies and more likely to overcome hardships and reversals.
Citizens may grant legitimacy to a government for different reasons. In a traditional society,
legitimacy may depend on the ruler’s inheriting the throne or on the ruler’s obedience to religious
customs, such as making sacrifices and performing rituals. In a modern democracy, the legitimacy
of the authorities will depend on their selection by voters in competitive elections and on their

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