Please help me find information about American interest groups.

Interest groups, also known as pressure groups and lobby groups, refer to political organizations that exert influence on the government in order to obtain certain special interests under the capitalist system. The United States is the country with the most prosperous interest groups. According to statistics, there were 17,644 national interest groups in the United States in 1983, and more than 60 American adults participated in at least one group. [1](P277) Since the 1970s, more than half of Americans believe that “the government is largely controlled by a few large interest groups who only care about themselves.” In 1980, only 21% of Americans believed that the government was still for "Acting in the interests of all the people." [2](P447) Therefore, an in-depth exploration of the reasons why interest groups thrive in the United States is of great significance to our correct understanding of the American government and society. The academic research on interest groups in the United States is generally weak. There are no specific articles published on the reasons for the prosperity of interest groups in the United States. Therefore, this article will not be superficial and try to make a superficial discussion on this issue. I apologize for any inappropriateness. Ask experts and colleagues to criticize and correct.

1. The social background for the prosperity of interest groups

The diverse economic structure of the United States is the economic root of the continuous emergence of interest groups. The United States has a vast territory, diverse climate, and abundant natural resources, which are conducive to the emergence, existence, and development of various economic forms. Therefore, the United States formed various sectors of the national economy such as agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce at the beginning of its founding. After the Revolutionary War, the United States embarked on the track of capitalist development and, driven by three scientific and technological revolutions, gradually became a world economic power. In the process of economic development, various economic forces such as industrialists, farmers, workers, etc. have become increasingly powerful and have more and more demands for state power. In order to realize their demands, they have formed various economic interest groups and continuously Expand the scale and develop from a regional organization to a national organization. Moreover, with the continuous development of the U.S. economy and industrialization, economic diversity and specialization have become more and more obvious, and the division of labor among various departments and industries of the national economy has become increasingly detailed. For example, in agricultural production, cotton, wheat, corn, rice, and soybeans The planting industry, the production of citrus, walnuts, grapes, vegetables, milk, etc., and the animal husbandry, pig raising, and poultry raising industries have all become specialized. The same situation exists in the secondary and tertiary industries of the national economy. Each of these specialized industries has its own special interests, which has contributed to the emergence of a large number of single-industry interest groups.

The United States is also a capitalist private ownership society, and differentiation between rich and poor and class exploitation are inevitable phenomena in American society. In the United States, the bourgeoisie, farmer class, and working class are the most basic classes. The bourgeoisie and farmer class are divided into large, medium, and small classes. The working class is also divided into skilled workers and unskilled workers. In addition, the United States still has a large number of middle-class people such as managers, teachers, lawyers, and doctors. Different classes and strata have different social statuses, form different interests, and cause mutual contradictions and conflicts. In order to realize their own special interests and strengthen their own strength in the struggle, people from all classes and strata naturally unite and form interest groups. Madison once said: "The most common and lasting cause of partisanship is the difference and inequality in the distribution of property. Property owners and propertyless people will always form different interest groups in society. Creditors and debtors also have the same distinction. Land Groups of proprietors, manufacturers, merchants, finances, and many smaller groups are bound to form in civilized countries, dividing them into different classes, governed by different sentiments and opinions.”[3] (P46-47) Madison correctly stated the class roots of interest groups here.

The United States is a typical diverse and diversified country. In addition to the above-mentioned differences in economic and class interests, there are also various ethnic, racial, religious and political factions. The United States is a country of immigrants. Since the colonial period, people from all over the world have immigrated to North America. Therefore, the racial composition of the United States is quite complex and the ethnic origins are extremely dispersed. In the course of historical evolution, the white race, dominated by the Anglo-Saxon race, has become the mainstream of American society, and they have implemented policies of discrimination and oppression against ethnic minorities.

African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Jewish Americans and Indians are ethnic minorities and are subject to discrimination and unfair treatment. After immigrants came to the United States, they also brought their own religion, culture and traditions, forming a unique cultural atmosphere. The United States is a country that believes in freedom of religious belief. Various religions can spread freely in the United States, resulting in diverse religious beliefs and numerous sects. Ideologically, various social trends are also widely spread in the United States. Therefore, the United States has been compared to "pizza", "chowder pot" and "salad platter". This diversified social structure has laid a solid social foundation for the existence and development of interest groups.

2. Political guarantee for the prosperity of interest groups

The existence and development of interest groups is a common phenomenon in capitalist democratic countries. It is common in developed capitalist countries such as Britain, France and Germany. There are numerous interest groups. However, compared with the United States, the number and types of interest groups in these countries are much smaller, and their activity and influence are also much lower than those in the United States. This difference is mainly caused by the unique political system of the United States. The United States implements a federal system with the separation of powers between the center and states. The two levels of government also implement the separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers. This political system with extremely decentralized power provides an extremely favorable political environment for interest groups. Interest groups can exert pressure on various levels of government and can exert influence on the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government at the same level. An interest group that suffers setbacks at one level or one government department can succeed at another level or another government department. The situation is quite different in unitary and non-decentralized countries. For example, in the UK, political power is concentrated in the hands of the central government, and various forces only need to exert influence on a certain department of the central government. Therefore, the vast majority of interest groups in the UK are national organizations, which greatly reduces The number and activity of interest groups pales in comparison to those in the United States. In this regard, British political scientist Weir pointed out: In the United States, “interest groups thrive by relying on the decentralized nature of the government system” [4] (P110).

The political party system is an important part of the American political system. U.S. government officials at all levels are nominated, elected and appointed by political party organizations. If a political party wants to win elections and come to power, it must win the votes of as many people as possible and reflect the interests of the country and the public as much as possible. Therefore, the classes and strata represented by the two major political parties are broad and ambiguous, and they avoid contact with the public. The special interests of a minority group with opposing interests. In addition, the American political party system elects officials based on the division of constituencies and in accordance with the principle of regional representation, which also prevents the special interests of some classes, ethnic groups, and industries from being reflected. In this case, “the interest group system must make up for their shortcomings in concentrated interests and representation” [5] (P357). Moreover, the opinions within the various political parties in the United States are not completely consistent. Within a party, the differences in attitudes and opinions on certain issues among party members may be greater than the differences with members of another party. Party members do not vote entirely in accordance with the will of the party. When formulating certain laws and policies When making decisions, they pay more attention to the interests of their own constituencies and the interests of interest groups that are closely related to them. This situation encourages interest groups to lobby legislators or administrative officials from both major parties at the same time, seeking support for their positions and interests within both parties, and increasing the possibility of realizing their demands.

The right of association, which is closely related to the formation of interest groups, is also strongly supported by the U.S. Constitution and the judiciary. The First Amendment to the U.S. Federal Constitution stipulates: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of a state religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion; abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or abridging the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” [6 ] (P84) This amendment is the legal basis for interest groups to legally exist and carry out activities. According to the U.S. Supreme Court's historical interpretation of this amendment, the government may not suppress people's free speech and may not censor any publication. In this way, interest groups are free to publicize their ideas and can freely publish and distribute publications and place advertisements to promote their ideas.

The U.S. Constitution does not contain explicit provisions on the public's right of association, but Americans have always regarded the Constitution as the fundamental guarantee of the right of association. American scholar Horn once pointed out: "Freedom of association is one of the most important civil rights protected by the U.S. Constitution." [7] (P1) Since the founding of the United States, the public's right of association has always been regarded as consisting of assembly, Rights protected by the Constitution derived from free rights such as petitioning. This was recognized by the Federal Supreme Court. This situation encourages various interest groups to take actions within the scope permitted by the constitution and realize their wishes and demands through various levels of government.

3. The ideological basis for the prosperity of interest groups

The American people’s pursuit of democracy, freedom, and equality has contributed to the emergence and development of various interest groups. During the colonial period, there were no traditional feudal privileges or hierarchies in North America. There were also some democratic factors in political and economic life, such as representative system and local self-control. Small and powerful economic and political forces organized themselves into interest groups. exert greater influence on U.S. domestic and foreign policies. At the same time, the development of social integration in the United States provided a national stage for the activities of interest groups. Therefore, most of the interest groups that emerged during this period were national, such as the Farmers Federation, the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, American Federation of Labor, United Industrial Workers, etc. A number of other types of interest groups were also established under the auspices of the progressive movement. For example, black people established the NAACP to oppose racial discrimination and apartheid policies, environmentalists established the Ridge Club and the National Parks and Natural Resources Defense Council, and educators established the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. wait. In this regard, American scholar Ornstein made the following summary: "In the decades after the Civil War, the industry and economy of the United States developed along with a large number of European immigrants coming to the Americas. The government expanded to include a wide range of Groups including the mass movement base have also begun to increase. Agricultural groups, labor organizations, and much broader, economically oriented groups have begun to become active in American social and political activities. Interest groups and lobby groups have become active in Washington politics. "[13](P248)

The great changes in American society in the 20th century, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, have broadened the scope of activities of interest groups. , the methods are more abundant and sophisticated, and the influence of interest groups has penetrated into every aspect of American social life. Roosevelt's New Deal, implemented to overcome the "Great Crisis," strengthened the power of the executive branch and established the federal government's authoritative position in American social life. Interest groups' lobbying activities against the executive branch suddenly increased. After the mid-20th century, with the expansion of the decision-making power of subcommittees after congressional reform, the "decline" of party politics, and the increase in power of grassroots administrative departments, the scope of activities of interest groups has expanded unprecedentedly, thus stimulating the greater development of interest groups. Especially in the 1960s and 1970s, social problems in the United States became more prominent. Revolving around a series of issues such as racial discrimination, women's rights, the Vietnam War, political reform, and consumer rights, intricate contradictions, conflicts, and struggles emerged in society. Under such circumstances, some old interest groups such as economic and civil rights organizations expanded their scale and continued to be active in the political arena. A large number of new interest groups also emerged one after another, reaching a "complete explosion". The number of interest groups Organizational and political influence have also been greatly strengthened. In addition, in the United States, a highly developed and modern country, the "sequelae" of modernization seriously trouble the American people. In order to solve problems such as soil erosion, environmental pollution, and destruction of natural resources, as well as social evils such as drug abuse, crime, violence, pornography, and moral corruption, the broad masses of people have organized a large number of public interest groups. Interest groups have become an indispensable and important part of the American political system.

In short, the development of interest groups in the United States is an inevitable product of capitalist democratic politics, a reflection of the reality of America’s pluralistic society, an embodiment of the American national spirit, and a driving force for the economic, political and social development of the United States. realized below.