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Political Science

Brigham Young University

Government

Theses and Dissertations

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Mormon Influence On The Political Geography Of The West, Michael Madsen Jan 1999

The Mormon Influence On The Political Geography Of The West, Michael Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

The vast colonization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, in the nineteenth century had a profund impact on the populating, culture, economy, and environment of much of the American West. This thesis examines the political geographic influence of the Mormons in the West and, more specifically, in the lands ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848. This land comprises all or portions of the following states: California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
The original organization of the Mexican Cession at the hands of Congress in 1850 was drastically influenced by …


Tacit Cooperation Between Enemies: Two Case Studies, Kristina Handy Apr 1994

Tacit Cooperation Between Enemies: Two Case Studies, Kristina Handy

Theses and Dissertations

This research details a point of reference to understand two case studies of cooperation that developed among lower-level, or non policy-making bureaucrats during times of conflict or war. Using components of game theory, I propose that when an international conflictual relationship occurs that resembles an iterated Prisoners' Dilemma, and that meets certain conditions, tacit cooperation can emerge. Tacit cooperation consists of illicit or implied cooperation that is not sanctioned at the national policy level.

In this research I develop a framework of tacit cooperation, relying heavily upon Robert Axelrod's theory of evolutionary cooperation. With the framework in place, I then …


Precinct Government In Salt Lake County, Utah 1852-1904, Steven K. Madsen Jan 1986

Precinct Government In Salt Lake County, Utah 1852-1904, Steven K. Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis traces the origin, development, and decline, from 1852 to 1904, of Salt Lake County's judicial precincts. A precinct functioned as the basic subdivision of county government. Its boundaries were generally coterminous with those of local communities. It was established to allow for a degree of local control by the people.
Chapter two reveals that precinct justices experienced over time a marked decline in socio-political prominence. This is largely due to legislative statutes that decreased their jurisdictional powers. Chapter three examines the evolution of precinct boundaries. It is demonstrated that geographic distribution of individuals played a major role in …


Radicals And Immigrants: Senator William H. King's Response To Nativism, 1917-1924, Craig D. Galli Jan 1984

Radicals And Immigrants: Senator William H. King's Response To Nativism, 1917-1924, Craig D. Galli

Theses and Dissertations

When Senator William Henry King took office in 1917, Utah and the nation were apprehensive about the presence of large numbers of foreign born aliens and citizens. Utah's King joined the wartime hysteria and promoted many nativistic policies directed against the foreign born population. During the post-war Red Scare he continued his crusade, concentrating on the suppression of Bolsheviks and the Industrial Workers of the World.

But when Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924--a nativistic law designed to curtail the immigration of southern and eastern Europeans--King was the bill's only opponent from the West or South. Since anti-radicalism and …


Storm Over The Summit: A Political History Of Summit County To 1882, Rodney L. Peck Jan 1981

Storm Over The Summit: A Political History Of Summit County To 1882, Rodney L. Peck

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a more complete understanding of Mormon politics in territorial Utah by studying the growth and development of the political process in Summit County to 1882.

The study suggests that the county was governed by a relatively small but growing group of politically minded men, many of whom also ecclesiastical trust or who were among the pioneers of the area. The study also suggests that the Mormon teaching of unity in all things and fair representation among county offices from the county's major population centers were the governing principles of Mormon political action …


Sex, Sickness And Statehood: The Influence Of Victorian Medical Opinion On Self-Government In Utah, E. Victoria Grover-Swank Jan 1980

Sex, Sickness And Statehood: The Influence Of Victorian Medical Opinion On Self-Government In Utah, E. Victoria Grover-Swank

Theses and Dissertations

In the struggle for self-government which occupied the Mormon population of Utah between their entry into the Great Basin in 1847 and statehood in 1896, the issue of polygamy dominated public discussion. The non-Mormon population of the United States generally objected to the practice of polygamy, in large part because of Victorian attitudes towards sexual activity and the presumed physical and mental results of violating Victorian sexual norms. It was assumed by most Americans that polygamy, by violating those norms, caused real physical damage to the Latter-day Saints in Utah; damage that disqualified them from holding full and equal political …


Mccarthyism In Utah, Richard Swanson Jan 1977

Mccarthyism In Utah, Richard Swanson

Theses and Dissertations

The exaggerated anti-Communist crusade of Senator Joseph McCarthy allegedly gained the support of a majority of Americans during the early 1950's. It is historically important and interesting to question that supposition by considering the character of McCarthy's following in each state. This study shows that in Utah sympathy for the second Red Scare abounded and evidences of McCarthyism were readily apparent.

Three indicators illustrate Utah's support for the Wisconsin senator. The defeat of Elbert Thomas in 1950 dramatically epitomizes the successful use of incriminating allegations effectively employed by McCarthy. The election, or re-election, of McCarthy supporters and the defeat of …


The Development Of Municipal Government In The Territory Of Utah, Alvin Charles Koritz Jan 1972

The Development Of Municipal Government In The Territory Of Utah, Alvin Charles Koritz

Theses and Dissertations

In 1846 the Mormons were expelled westward from Nauvoo, Illinois. Beyond the borders of the United States, the Mormon Church absorbed the civil functions of municipal government, a pattern which continued in the Great Basin and received the sanction of state authority in 1849 under Deseret.

As the political arm of the "Kingdom of God," the Council of Fifty influenced local political development as its members simultaneously occupied elective offices in both the territorial legislature and municipal government.

During the first decade as a territory, Utah's city charters generally followed the pattern established by Nauvoo in 1840. However, in the …


A Political Biography Of George Henry Dern, Robert W. Wells Jr. Jan 1971

A Political Biography Of George Henry Dern, Robert W. Wells Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will review the political life of George H. Dern emphasizing the utah period. The last chapter will briefly describe Dern's activities after the completion of his second term as governor of Utah in 1932.


The Elections Of 1900 In Utah, R. Gary Penrod Jan 1968

The Elections Of 1900 In Utah, R. Gary Penrod

Theses and Dissertations

The 1900 elections have been little touched in historical studies of Utah. However 1900 was a year of special interest and deserves an examination. In that year a Special Election was held, all state offices were up for renewal and a Presidential Election took place.

The special election was necessary because B. H. Roberts had been denied his seat in the United States Congress. Roberts was excluded because he was a polygamist. The Roberts case threatened to revive gentile versus Mormon antipathies in Utah. However, the most puzzling aspect of the 1900 elections is connected with the presidential vote. In …


The 1912 Presidential Election In Utah, C. Austin Wahlquist Jan 1962

The 1912 Presidential Election In Utah, C. Austin Wahlquist

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine why, in the light of local conditions and problems, Utah chose to support President Taft. Why Did Utah prefer the conservative policies of this nationally unpopular figure, while the rest of the nation favored the progressivism of Wilson or the progressivism of Roosevelt? What were the national issues which affected Utah? Who exercised political control in the state? What was the party alignment? How important was newspaper opinion? To what extent was personal friendship for Taft, on the part of local Republican leaders, a factor? Did a recent outbreak of Mormon-non-Mormon friction …


The Theory And Practice Of The Political Kingdom Of God In Mormon History, 1829-1890, Klaus J. Hansen Jan 1959

The Theory And Practice Of The Political Kingdom Of God In Mormon History, 1829-1890, Klaus J. Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

The history of Mormonism reveals that almost from its beginning, the new church was to be not only a basis for an ecclesiastical Kingdom of God but for a temporal Kingdom as well. This temporal Kingdom, never fully realized, was to develop into a political state preparatory to the inauguration of the Apocalyptic Kingdom. Ultimately, this Kingdom was to rule the whole world.

Theory and practice did not always merge in the organization and administration of this Kingdom. When Joseph Smith organized the nucleus of a political government for the Kingdom of God in 1844 it became rather obvious that …