Core Concepts of Political Science
● Political Science: Study of how societies organize power, make rules, and allocate resources.
● Key Topics:
○ Government Structures: Various forms (democracy, authoritarianism) and how power is
organized.
○ Political Behavior: Actions of citizens (elections, voting patterns, party participation).
○ Role of Institutions: Functions of institutions like parliament, judiciary, and executive.
○ International Relations: How states interact globally (e.g., through EU, UN).
● Key Terms:
○ Power: Ability to influence decisions at any level, from government to personal.
○ State and Government: The structured entity that governs a society (e.g., your national
government).
○ Democracy vs. Authoritarianism: Citizen participation and representation in democracy
vs. concentrated power in authoritarian systems.
○ Political Parties: Organized groups sharing ideologies, aiming for power (e.g.,
Democrats, Conservatives).
○ Citizenship: Rights and responsibilities of citizens, including voting, obeying laws, and
civic engagement.
● Core Dimensions:
○ Polity: The system or framework (like constitutions, legal systems) where politics occurs.
○ Policy: Specific actions or decisions within this framework to address societal issues (e.g.,
climate policy).
○ Politics: The process of competition, debate, and negotiation to influence decisions and
policies.
Historical Development of Political Science
1. Ancient Foundations:
○ Greece: Plato and Aristotle discussed governance, justice, and ideal states. Aristotle’s
Politics analyzes political systems and citizenship.
○ Rome: Thinkers like Cicero contributed ideas on law, the state, and citizenship,
influential in Europe for centuries.
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2. Medieval and Renaissance Thought:
○ Middle Ages: Focused on Christian authority and governance; thinkers like St. Augustine,
Aquinas combined theology and politics.
○ Renaissance: Machiavelli’s The Prince (1513) introduced ideas of realpolitik and power
strategies, challenging idealistic governance.
3. 17th–18th Centuries:
○ Social Contract Theories: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau explored society’s nature and
legitimacy of governments.
○ Enlightenment Thinkers: Montesquieu proposed the separation of powers; Voltaire
advocated for civil liberties.
4. 19th Century:
○ Political Economy: Industrialization shifted focus; Marx critiqued capitalism, advocating
for socialism (Communist Manifesto, Das Kapital).
○ Liberalism & Nationalism: John Stuart Mill promoted individual freedom and
democracy; nationalism shaped modern states in Europe.
5. 20th Century:
○ Institutionalization: Political science established as a discipline (LSE, Harvard).
○ Behavioralism & Systems Theory: Focus on empirical data, behavior, and systems (David
Easton’s systems theory).
○ Studies on Democracy, Authoritarianism: After WWII, scholars like Hannah Arendt
explored totalitarianism; Robert Dahl analyzed democracy.
6. Contemporary Focus:
○ Post-Cold War: Interest in democratization, globalization, identity politics, and the
impact of technology on politics.
Major Subfields of Political Science
● Comparative Politics: Examines political systems across different countries to understand
similarities and differences.
● International Relations: Studies interactions between countries and international organizations.
● Political Theory: Philosophical perspectives on justice, politics, governance.
● Public Policy and Administration: Analyzes policy-making and governmental procedures.
● Political Economy: Examines intersections of politics and economic systems.
Concepts of the State
● Definitions of the State:
○ Max Weber: Describes the state as a community with a central authority holding a
monopoly on legitimate force within a territory.
● Types of Leadership:
○ Monarchy: Ruler inherits position, often considered divinely sanctioned (e.g., divine
right).
○ Republic: Leaders are elected by citizens, with limited terms.
○ Dictatorship: Leader seizes and maintains power through control over the opposition.
● Forms of Government:
○ Democracy: People hold power, with leaders elected through free elections.
○ Authoritarianism: Centralized power with limited political freedoms and reduced civil
liberties.
○ Totalitarianism: Extreme form of authoritarianism with complete control over public and
private life (e.g., propaganda, suppression of dissent).
Theories and Forms of Democracy
● Historical Examples:
○ Athenian Democracy: Direct participation of male citizens, each with equal rights in
political decisions.
○ Social Contract (John Locke): Society based on consent; government by agreement for
the collective good.
● Key Thinkers:
○ Montesquieu: Proposed separation of powers.
○ Rousseau: Advocated direct democracy.
○ John Stuart Mill: Emphasized individual liberty, only limited to prevent harm to others.
● Features of Ideal Democracy:
○ Effective Participation: Citizens can express views before decisions are made.
○ Equality in Voting: All votes are equal.
○ Informed Electorate: Citizens access information on policies.
○ Control of Agenda: Citizens decide which issues to address.
○ Inclusion: All citizens have the right to participate equally.
○ Fundamental Rights: Rights to freedom of expression, equal voting, access to
information.
● Representative Democracy:
○ Key Institutions:
■ Free, fair, and frequent elections: Ensure accountability and representation.
■ Freedom of Expression: Citizens freely express opinions on political matters.
■ Independent Information Sources: Free from government control, vital for
informed public.
■ Freedom of Association: Right to form political groups and participate in
governance.
Variants in Political Systems
● Types of Democracies:
○ Direct Democracy: Citizens make decisions directly (e.g., referenda).
○ Representative Democracy: Citizens elect officials to make decisions on their behalf.
● Power Distribution:
○ Centralized: Central government holds primary power.
○ Federal: Power shared between central and regional governments.
● Decision-Making Approaches:
○ Consensus-Based: Aimed at full agreement.
○ Majority Rule: Decisions made by over 50% or based on relative majority in some cases.
● Political Party Systems:
○ One-Party System: Only one party holds power (legal or de facto).
○ Two-Party System: Two main parties dominate, with limited influence from others.
○ Multi-Party System: Multiple parties can gain government control.
● Secular vs. Religious Systems:
○ Secular: State and religion are separate; equal treatment for all religions.
○ Religious State: Religion influences governance (e.g., state religion).
● Ethnic vs. Inclusive States:
○ Ethnically Inclusive: All ethnicities hold equal status.
○ Ethnic Nation-States: Primarily represent one dominant ethnicity.
