ABSTRACT
In attempting to describe and explain the operation of a political system, it is necessary to arrange a vast amount of detailed information into a recognisable pattern that will give meaning and shape to the activities of those who live in it and make it work. In the case of the United States, the problem of identifying the major determinants of political behaviour is complicated by the enormous diversity of American life, and by the way in which constitutional structures and the patterns of political action are continually acting and reacting upon each other. Before we plunge into the detail of American politics, therefore, it is necessary to reflect for a moment upon the explanations of the motive forces behind political systems that have been isolated, and the implications of these differing explanations for our understanding of the American system. These ‘models’ of political life will help us through the complexities of American politics at all levels of activity, in the electorate at large, in the structures of party and pressure group, and in the workings of congressional and presidential politics.
