Today, the political spectrum runs from the extreme right to the extreme left. However, most political groups active in government encompass a smaller part of it. The total spectrum, from extreme left (who demand a new (or no) government to the far right (who demand a return to times when things were better, perhaps to the system of 100 years ago) goes as follows: anarchist, radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, and reactionary (ultra-conservative). Most politics today in government range only from liberal to conservative. Liberals want change. They want it planned out, with a timeline, for example. Moderates are more conservative, but still support gradual change. Conservatives want to maintain the status quo, keep things as they are.
Under Reagan, the parties polarized: Republicans became all conservative, the Democrats all liberal. Until that time, there had been a mix within each political party.
The common view of the parties today is that the conservative Republicans are pro-big-business, and offer smaller taxes but consequently fewer government services. The liberal Democrats are seen as pro-labor, for the common man, and ask for higher taxes but more government services.
| Gov't Level | Executive | Legislative | Judiciary. |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | President is chief executive Attorney General is his "right hand man" President's primary enforcement agency is military (he is commander-in-chief) Other agencies: ATF, FBI (intranational), CIA (international), DEA (drug cases) | Bicameral legislature (2 houses; upper and lower) Senate (Senators) House of Representatives (Congressmen) | Supreme Court - lat court of appeals, original jurisdiction of Constitution. Federal Circuit Courts - appeals court for District Court (also appeals from State Supreme Courts) Federal District Courts - original jurisdiction of federal laws (ex. state vs. state, state vs. person, etc) |
| State | Governor National Guard is his enforcement agency he can declare martial law if necessary (martial law = virtual dictatorship) | Also Bicameral on state level: State Senate (State Senators) State Assembly (Assemblypersons) | State Supreme Court State Circuit Court State District Courts |
| County | County Executive Sheriff's Department is his enforcement agency | County Board (Supervisors) | Court system divided between county and city levels: Felony Courts (County) Grand jury indicts, petty jury tries |
| City | Mayor Police = his enforcement agency | City Council (Alderpersons) | Misdemeanor Courts (city level) Small Claims Courts Divorce Courts Traffic Courts |
The immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. This is the event that set off a chain reaction, a domino effect, as country after country declared war.
The primary causes relate to this cascade of war declarations, because one of the primary causes was the system of secret and entangling alliances in Europe. If a country would go to war, its allies would be obliged to help. Another primary reason was militarism. The arms race and struggle to have the greatest army produced military states, and if a war were to break out, it would give a chance to test their strength. Nationalism was also a primary cause. The intense love for and devotion to one's homeland led many people to support their countries actions even if they were not right or just. Imperialism too was a primary cause; the desire for control of new lands, either politically or economically, led many nations into the war.
There were also secondary causes to the war. One was an ethnic reason. People of the same heritage tended to group together. Similarly, countries withh political ties and similarities would fight together, as would nations with similar economic systems.
In the ways shown above, it becomes apparent that World War I is an interesting example of the theory of multiple causation.