Complete essay play; received 100 UMS at A2 level US Politics, and am now at University study Politics.
This is a complete essay plan, structured in a way that splits up the questions thematically - rather than simply yes/no - and has substantial debate within each theme, supported by evidence, a...
US Constitution & Federalism - Unit 4C Government & Politics
US Supreme Court - Unit 4C Government & Politics
All for this textbook (33)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
Government and Politics
Unit 4A GOV4A - The Government of the USA
All documents for this subject (31)
13
reviews
By: annanya • 1 year ago
By: arlobeuselinck • 2 year ago
By: dweenbillbas • 2 year ago
By: sofiarisino • 2 year ago
By: conorg8 • 3 year ago
By: fionabowman • 6 year ago
By: hmills106 • 6 year ago
Show more reviews
Seller
Follow
maxcollingbourne
Reviews received
Content preview
Congress – essay plans
To what extent does Congress remain a powerful body?
Foreign policy – within this, talk about imperial/imperilled presidency
• Congressional powers/checks on president
o Power to declare war (Article 1 Section 8)
o Power of the purse
o Power to reject appointments
o Vagueness of constitution
o Congressional resolutions:
§ Cooper-Church Agreement (1971) – prohibited the use of appropriated funds to
finance any military intervention without Congressional approval (was successful and
utilised the power of the purse to great avail, as it ended participation in Cambodia
and Laos, and refused Ford’s appeal for financial aid for Vietnam in 1975)
§ The Case Act (1972) – the president must inform Congress of any executive
agreements he makes with foreign leaders
§ War Powers Act (1973) – if the president is intent on committing troops for more
than 90 days, he must inform Congress within 48h
§ These Congressional resolution signified a “new mood of congressional
assertiveness in foreign policy” (Mervin, 1993) and cause President Ford to complain
that the president is “imperilled”, and thus Congress remains powerful
• President has power over foreign policy
o Constitutional powers:
§ Commander in Chief (Article 2 Section 2)
§ Executive agreements and negotiate treaties
§ Can bypass the War Powers Act
• The loopholes in War Powers Act and its definition of military combatants has
allowed various presidents to bypass it – e.g. Obama with Libya and JFK
with the Bay of Pigs and Vietnam
o Congress has deferred powers
§ Curtiss-Wright decision (1936) – declared that the constitution implicitly grants the
president broad foreign policy making powers
§ Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – effectively gave Johnson a blank cheque
o Dual Presidency theory
§ President has greater freedom from public and Congress during crises
§ Aaron Wildavsky’s theory holds when analysing foreign policy
§ Not only can the president set the tone for foreign policy through State of the
Union addresses (e.g. Bush in 2002 declaring war on the Axis of Evil and terrorism),
but he is also given greater freedom by the public and Congress
• Most evident during the Cold War, where the permanent state of crisis
caused everyone to “rally around the flag” (Rosati, 2003) leading to “high
congressional compliance and presidential supremacy in foreign policy”
(Carter, 1986) – during this crises, people rally around the president for
decisive action and the public perception of an “omnipotent president”
(Rosati, 2003) during a crisis often leads to increased presidential power
• Thus Congress must oblige “and has little choice but to go along, as it is
dishonourable to deprive men risking their lives of financial support” (Mervin,
1993)
• Conclusion
o Congress – despite having some constitutional powers – has deferred true authority
over to the president in dealings with foreign policy – “It was as much a matter of
congressional abdication as of presidential usurpation” (Schlesinger, 1973)
o It “has the scope to make difficulties at the margin and cause delays” (Mervin, 1993), but
cannot enforce its will upon the president, and the Congressional resolutions were
insignificant in the long-term due to their vague wording
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller maxcollingbourne. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.50. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
