What Is Politics?
Politics involves all the activities and people who work for, serve or challenge government institutions. Governments govern societies and their citizens by making rules and laws to manage them. The term also encompasses those actions that take place outside the realm of a single nation-state, in what is known as the international sphere. These international interactions may be peaceful when conducted through diplomacy, or violent when they lead to war between states. Politics is a complex subject that has many definitions. Among the narrower ones is politics defined as that which concerns the state, where the state refers to the institutions of a country that provide public services, enforce law, ensure security and govern people and things. The politicians who temporarily run these institutions are referred to as the political class.
The broader definition of politics includes any activity or person that attempts to influence the way in which a society is governed. It can thus include non-governmental organisations, corporations and trade unions. It can also encompass individual citizens who participate in election processes, lobbyists or demonstrate against a policy they oppose. Those who are able to wield considerable influence in the way in which a society is ruled are referred to as power brokers.
One common view is that politics is all about manoeuvring to assert rival interests. This view was exemplified in Niccolo Machiavelli’s 1532 book The Prince, where the author argues that politics is “first about getting and keeping power”. More recently, the philosopher John Dewey wrote that “politics is a perpetual and chaotic clash of entrenched interests.”
Governments manage a wide range of different activities, including providing public services, enforcing laws, and ensuring security. They also interact with each other in the international arena, either through diplomatic or, more frequently, violent means such as war. Politics is a complex business, and those who want to change the system often find it difficult to do so.
In a democracy, people are governed by elected officials who represent them in the national parliament or other legislatures. These representatives are usually members of political parties, which have agreed to put forward a specific set of ideas and candidates in elections for public office. The party members can disagree with each other, but they work together to gain more strength in the struggle for power by putting forward a united front.
Elections are complicated, and many aspects of the process are not well understood by the general population. Questions such as when to vote, what is the electoral college and where do you go to vote can be confusing. For those who are interested in politics, it is worth gaining an understanding of these processes so that you can make informed decisions about your future. The information provided below will help you to do just that. As you read, bear in mind that politics is a continuous struggle for control over scarce resources. It will exist as long as humans live in scarcity and have a wide variety of beliefs and preferences, and will always involve trying to reconcile these differences.
Politics involves all the activities and people who work for, serve or challenge government institutions. Governments govern societies and their citizens by making rules and laws to manage them. The term also encompasses those actions that take place outside the realm of a single nation-state, in what is known as the international sphere. These international interactions may be peaceful when conducted through diplomacy, or violent when they lead to war between states. Politics is a complex subject that has many definitions. Among the narrower ones is politics defined as that which concerns the state, where the state refers to the institutions of a country that provide public services, enforce law, ensure security and govern people and things. The politicians who temporarily run these institutions are referred to as the political class. The broader definition of politics includes any activity or person that attempts to influence the way in which a society is governed. It can thus include non-governmental organisations, corporations and trade unions. It can also encompass individual citizens who participate in election processes, lobbyists or demonstrate against a policy they oppose. Those who are able to wield considerable influence in the way in which a society is ruled are referred to as power brokers. One common view is that politics is all about manoeuvring to assert rival interests. This view was exemplified in Niccolo Machiavelli’s 1532 book The Prince, where the author argues that politics is “first about getting and keeping power”. More recently, the philosopher John Dewey wrote that “politics is a perpetual and chaotic clash of entrenched interests.” Governments manage a wide range of different activities, including providing public services, enforcing laws, and ensuring security. They also interact with each other in the international arena, either through diplomatic or, more frequently, violent means such as war. Politics is a complex business, and those who want to change the system often find it difficult to do so. In a democracy, people are governed by elected officials who represent them in the national parliament or other legislatures. These representatives are usually members of political parties, which have agreed to put forward a specific set of ideas and candidates in elections for public office. The party members can disagree with each other, but they work together to gain more strength in the struggle for power by putting forward a united front. Elections are complicated, and many aspects of the process are not well understood by the general population. Questions such as when to vote, what is the electoral college and where do you go to vote can be confusing. For those who are interested in politics, it is worth gaining an understanding of these processes so that you can make informed decisions about your future. The information provided below will help you to do just that. As you read, bear in mind that politics is a continuous struggle for control over scarce resources. It will exist as long as humans live in scarcity and have a wide variety of beliefs and preferences, and will always involve trying to reconcile these differences.