The Study of American Gov?t APUSG Chapter 1 Four Key Concepts The United States is a representative democracy. In the American system, there are those who exercise power because they have the legitimate authority to do so, and those who exercise power without legitimate authority. Because of this, there is ongoing debate over how political power is distributed. Your chapter presents four different theories on how political elites impact government and politics. Every political action or decision has a trade-off (opportunity cost is part of this concept). Representative Democracy limits tyranny of the majority Authority vs. Power ability to command ability to influence Power Distribution Theories Elites Marxist View Power Elite View Bureaucratic View Pluralist View