What is Pluralism?

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pohnpei397 | College Teacher | (Level 3) Distinguished Educator

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In political science, the term "pluralism" refers to a school of thought that holds that interest groups are a vital part of American democracy.  It gets its name from the idea that there are many (plural) interest groups that compete with one another to have influence in the political process.  Pluralism believes that it is very easy to form an interest group and that essentially any group, rich or poor, can have an impact on government.  These groups convey the opinions of the people to governmental officials.  Whichever group has the most support from the people will "win" and the government will do what that group wants.  In these ways, interest groups are good for American democracy.  These are the basic ideas of pluralism.

sid-sarfraz's profile pic


Posted on


Pluralism is referred to as a political theory that recognizes various organizational states based on socialism, politics and religion in a society. 

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