The philosophical underpinning of the Bush administration was shaped by the work of Leo Strauss and Max Shachtman. Both of these philosophers influenced the opposition against communism and the need for the United States to be the dominant force in the world. Strauss held that an elite must be able to engage in real politics while the masses are concerned with patriotism and moral values. Shactman began with a socialist approach that became ever more suspicious of Soviet communism. Both believed that the U.S. must be the dominant power in order to spread democracy and the American economic hegemony.