CrashCourse

Congressional Decisions: Crash Course Government and Politics #10

CrashCourse

Show Notes

This week Craig breaks out the crystal ball to try and figure out why our congresspeople do the things that they do. We’ll talk about the three motivating factors of congressional decisions - constituency, interest groups, and political parties - and we’ll break down how each of these factors motivates certain actions like casework, public opinion polls, and logrolling. Craig will even weigh in on which of these factors probably contributes most significantly to the actions and decisions of our congresspersons and he'll do it without even a touch of cynicism!Support is provided by Voqal: http://www.voqal.orgThis episode is sponsored by Squarespace: http://www.squarespace.com/crashcourse Chapters:Introduction 00:00How constituents & public opinion influence lawmakers 0:38How interest groups influence lawmakers 2:01How political parties influence lawmakers 3:07Presidential power & political parties 4:20Other influences on congressional decisions 5:20Credits 6:05Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at http://www.patreon.com/crashcourseWant to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseTwitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheCrashCourseInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/CC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from CrashCourse

Oct 31, 2026

Strongmen, tyrants, and dictators have marked Latin America’s history — and literature — for hundreds of years. In this episode of Crash Course Latin American Literature, we dive into some of the novels that have challenged authoritarian governments in real time and in their aftermath. Introduction: The Power of Stories 00:00Novelas de la Tierra 0:34"Facundo" 2:16Novelas del Dictador 4:58“El Señor Presidente” 6:12"In the Time of Butterflies" 8:09Review & Credits 10:50Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eE7g4-k6PD7C6wNBzeJIO8GCDHpoJl8ldDjKyq_2yYg/edit?tab=t.0To learn more, check out these videos:Geopolitical history of Latin America: War and Nation Building in Latin America: Crash Course World History 225 https://youtu.be/v6xi8_7Fy6Y?si=paRg7m_G3tMAX4vW , Latin American Revolutions: Crash Course World History #31 https://youtu.be/ZBw35Ze3bg8?si=P4HnEqr1_rEP2YGv***Support us for $5/month on Patreon to keep Crash Course free for everyone forever! https://www.patreon.com/crashcourseOr support us directly: https://complexly.com/supportJoin our Crash Course email list to get the latest news and highlights: https://mailchi.mp/crashcourse/emailGet our special Crash Course Educators newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iBgMhYThanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:oranjeez, Jason Terpstra, Chelsea S, Alan Bridgeman, Roger Harms, DexcilaDou, Krystle Young, Allison Wood, Stephen Akuffo, Katrix , Gina Mancuso, Shruti S, Martin G. Diller, Matthew Fredericksen, Brandon Thomas, Breanna Bosso, Ken Davidian, UwU, Jennifer Wiggins-Lyndall, Samantha, David Fanska, Kristina D Knight, Andrew Woods, Elizabeth LaBelle, SpaceRangerWes, Matt Curls, Quinn Harden, EllenBryn, Johnathan Williams, Leah H., Laurel Stevens, Steve Segreto, Michael Maher, Liz Wdow, Toni Miles, Perry Joyce, Evan Nelson, Katie Hoban, Mitch Gresko, Kevin Knupp, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Tanner Hedrick, Emily Beazley, Jack Hart, Rie Ohta, Dalton Williams, Scott Harrison, Barbara Pettersen, AThirstyPhilosopher ., Thomas Sully, Bernardo Garza, Jason Rostoker, Rizwan Kassim, Indija-ka Siriwardena, Emily T, Ian Dundore, Joseph Ruf, Alex Hackman, Thomas, Constance Urist, team dorsey, Stephen McCandless, Triad Terrace, Erminio Di Lodovico, Evol Hong, Luke Sluder, Eric Koslow, Katie Dean, Tandy Ratliff, Jennifer Killen, Jason Buster, Trevin Beattie, Wai Jack Sin, Caleb Weeks, Nathan Taylor, Siobhán, Les Aker, Barrett Nuzum, John Lee, Ken Penttinen, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, Pietro Gagliardi, ClareG, Duncan W Moore IV__Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/thecrashcourse.bsky.socialCC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2026

In which John Green discusses the strange and mutually beneficial relationship between a republic, the city-state of Venice, and an Empire, the Ottomans--and how studying history can help you to be a better boyfriend/girlfriend. Together, the Ottoman Empire and Venice grew wealthy by facilitating trade: The Venetians had ships and nautical expertise; the Ottomans had access to many of the most valuable goods in the world, especially pepper and grain. Working together across cultural and religious divides, they both become very rich, and the Ottomans became one of the most powerful political entities in the world. We also discuss how economic realities can overcome religious and political differences (in this case between Muslims and Christians), the doges of Venice, the sultans of the Ottoman empire, the janissaries, and the so-called slave aristocracy of the Ottoman Empire, and how money and knowledge from the Islamic world helped fuel and fund the European Renaissance. Also, there's a They Might Be Giants joke.Chapters:Introduction 00:00Venice 1:02Venetian Trade 1:26Piazza San Marco 2:48Venetian Imports, Exports, & Economy 3:45Venetian Government 4:25The Ottomans 4:46Ottoman Sultans 5:21An Open Letter to Ottoman Eunuchs 7:15The Ottomans' and Venetians' Relationship 8:12Credits 9:38--If you really want to read about Ottoman eunuchs (warning: it's explicit), here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch#Ottoman_Empire--Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at http://www.patreon.com/crashcourseWant to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseTwitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheCrashCourseInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/CC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2026

Native people have been a part of Hollywood and wider American culture for centuries—but not always in the best ways. In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we explore cultural appropriation, from redface to pretendians, and everything in between.Introduction: Cowboys and Indians 00:00Natives in Early Hollywood 0:36Redface 2:00Pretendians 3:30Cultural Appropriation 6:24Native Representation Today 8:22Review & Credits 9:44Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g1BpQk_2qXtFeQBffoAT-rrogcKRaA2eNjeRCpmCrJ8/edit?usp=sharing Want to know more about how this series was made? Learn more here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17yp3u28s40TdjyrJniIf4U9YA8wPtvQ1g1B-HSHQ2Q4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.6vtzps565m2***Support us for $5/month on Patreon to keep Crash Course free for everyone forever! https://www.patreon.com/crashcourseOr support us directly: https://complexly.com/supportJoin our Crash Course email list to get the latest news and highlights: https://mailchi.mp/crashcourse/emailGet our special Crash Course Educators newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iBgMhYThanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:oranjeez, Jason Terpstra, Chelsea S, Alan Bridgeman, Roger Harms, DexcilaDou, Krystle Young, Allison Wood, Stephen Akuffo, Katrix , Gina Mancuso, Shruti S, Martin G. Diller, Matthew Fredericksen, Brandon Thomas, Breanna Bosso, Ken Davidian, UwU, Jennifer Wiggins-Lyndall, Samantha, David Fanska, Kristina D Knight, Andrew Woods, Elizabeth LaBelle, SpaceRangerWes, Matt Curls, Quinn Harden, EllenBryn, Johnathan Williams, Leah H., Laurel Stevens, Steve Segreto, Michael Maher, Liz Wdow, Toni Miles, Perry Joyce, Evan Nelson, Katie Hoban, Mitch Gresko, Kevin Knupp, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Tanner Hedrick, Emily Beazley, Jack Hart, Rie Ohta, Dalton Williams, Scott Harrison, Barbara Pettersen, AThirstyPhilosopher ., Thomas Sully, Bernardo Garza, Jason Rostoker, Rizwan Kassim, Indija-ka Siriwardena, Emily T, Ian Dundore, Joseph Ruf, Alex Hackman, Thomas, Constance Urist, team dorsey, Stephen McCandless, Triad Terrace, Erminio Di Lodovico, Evol Hong, Luke Sluder, Eric Koslow, Katie Dean, Tandy Ratliff, Jennifer Killen, Jason Buster, Trevin Beattie, Wai Jack Sin, Caleb Weeks, Nathan Taylor, Siobhán, Les Aker, Barrett Nuzum, John Lee, Ken Penttinen, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, Pietro Gagliardi, ClareG, Duncan W Moore IV__Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/thecrashcourse.bsky.socialCC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2026

Hank talks about population genetics, which helps to explain the evolution of populations over time by combing the principles of Mendel and Darwin, and by means of the Hardy-Weinberg equation.Table of Contents:1. Population Genetics 1:052. Population 1:143. Allele Frequency 1:414. 5 Factors 1:58a) Natural Selection 2:12b) Natural Selection/Random Mating 2:27c) Mutation 3:18d) Genetic Drift 3:49e) Gene Flow 4:055. Hardy-Weinberg Principle 4:456. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium 5:157. Hardy-Weinberg Equation 6:18This video contains the following sound from Freesound.org:"LucasGonze-HomestyleMandolin-17.aiff" by lucasgonze Crash Course is on Patreon! You can support us directly by signing up at http://www.patreon.com/crashcourseWant to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseTwitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheCrashCourseInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/CC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2026

AI is taking over…or is it? And what would that look like anyway? The smarter it gets, the better AI will become at doing– basically everything. That could lead us to a bright future, with booming economies and tons of free time for us human beings. But it could also lead us to something a lot darker. In order to prepare for that transition, we have to try and understand what it would really look like. Intro 00:00How AI could lead to economic growth 2:22How AI could transform society 4:35How AI could concentrate wealth and power 7:21Deepfakes 8:33How close are we to the AI takeover? 11:04Conclusion 12:35Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16br0e73KFVD5qu-VEBV40yQTpBiX0l65EgWQ6Q7Fz-k/edit?usp=sharing***Support us for $5/month on Patreon to keep Crash Course free for everyone forever! https://www.patreon.com/crashcourseOr support us directly: https://complexly.com/supportJoin our Crash Course email list to get the latest news and highlights: https://mailchi.mp/crashcourse/emailGet our special Crash Course Educators newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iBgMhYThanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:DexcilaDou, Martin G. Diller, Johnathan Williams, Allison Wood, EllenBryn, Katrix , Jason Terpstra, Evan Nelson, Jennifer Wiggins-Lyndall, Dalton Williams, SpaceRangerWes, Chelsea S, Thomas Sully, Matthew Fredericksen, AThirstyPhilosopher ., Michael Maher, Mitch Gresko, Gina Mancuso, Roger Harms, Shruti S, Quinn Harden, Brandon Thomas, Emily Beazley, Rie Ohta, oranjeez, UwU, Elizabeth LaBelle, Leah H., David Fanska, Andrew Woods, Katie Hoban, Kevin Knupp, Barbara Pettersen, Ken Davidian, Stephen Akuffo, Toni Miles, Steve Segreto, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Laurel Stevens, Tanner Hedrick, Kristina D Knight, Samantha, Krystle Young, Perry Joyce, Scott Harrison, Alan Bridgeman, Breanna Bosso, Matt Curls, Liz Wdow, Jennifer Killen, Duncan W Moore IV, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, Bernardo Garza, team dorsey, Trevin Beattie, Pietro Gagliardi, John Lee, Eric Koslow, Indija-ka Siriwardena, Jason Rostoker, Siobhán, Ken Penttinen, Nathan Taylor, Barrett, Les Aker, ClareG, Rizwan Kassim, Constance Urist, Alex Hackman, Triad Terrace, Katie Dean, Jason Buster, Emily T, Stephen McCandless, Thomas, Joseph Ruf, Wai Jack Sin, Ian Dundore, Erminio Di Lodovico, Evol Hong, Tandy Ratliff, Caleb Weeks, Luke Sluder__Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet?Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourseBluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/thecrashcourse.bsky.socialCC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See all episodes →