Federal Bureaucratic Structures

The four major types of bureaucratic structures in the executive branch of the federal government are the executive departments, independent executive agencies, independent regulatory agencies and government corporations. There are “fifteen executive departments, which are directly accountable to the president, are the major service organizations of the federal government.” (Sidlow, 2015, p. 288). Executive Departments include the Department of Defense whose main function is national security and operating military bases, the Department of Treasury’s whose focus is on paying federal bills and printing money, the Department of Labor administers federal labor laws, and the Department of State develops foreign policy, negotiates treaties and
293) They regulate private activity and protect public interest in areas of the economy. Examples of some of these Independent Regulatory agencies are the Federal Reserve System (Fed) who determines policy on interest rates and money supply; and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who watches over businesses to ensure they do not practice unfair trade and stop the formations of monopolies.
Government Corporations are owned by the government and provide services that could be handled by the private sector and they charge for their services. Examples of tome of hese Government corporations are the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), Amtrak, and the Federal Deposit insurance Corporation (FDIC). The downside to these Corporations is if they fail to make a profit taxpayers may be forced to foot the bill. American foreign policy stared with Isolationism. The founding fathers believed that avoiding political involvement would be the best way to protect the nation’s interests. “In accordance with isolationist philosophy, President James Monroe in 1823 proclaimed what became as the Monroe Doctrine”. (Sidlow, 2015, p. 357). This doctrine stated the US would not tolerate intervention in the Western Hemisphere and the US would stay out of European
Interventionism is direct involvement in foreign affairs. During this time the US fought for freedom for Cuba from Spanish rule. Subsequently, Spain lost and gave up control of several of their possession namely, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippians, to the United States. This was known as the colonial empire and made the US a world power. Theodore Roosevelt made the statement that the US could invade Latin American countries when necessary to guarantee political stability. World War I broke out in 1914, President Wilson proclaimed a policy of neutrality, respectfully saying the United States would not take sides. The US eventually entered the war in 1917 after the US’s ships were attacked by German submarines. President Wilson advocated for Moral Idealism. Consequently after WWI ended in 1918 the US went back to Isolationism. Then in 1941 the Isolation policy ended when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
In 1947 the Marshal Plan and the Containment Policy evolved from President Harry Truman, because the local communist backed by the Soviets appeared to be taking over Greece and Turkey. The containment policy was designed to prevent the spread of communism. The US formed a collective alliance and NATO was