...What Is Politics On hearing the word politics, what usually springs to mind are images of government, politicians and their policies or more negatively the idea of corruption and dirty tricks. The actual definition seems to have been obscured and almost lost by such representations and clichés that tend not to pinpoint the true essence, which defines this thing, called politics. In order to make an attempt at a definition of politics a systematic approach is required. To begin with, a brief historical overview will be considered, to understand the origins of politics. Following this, different core concepts, which are imperative to a definition of politics, will be discussed, in the hope to discover a true and fair interpretation of the word politics. The word politics comes from the Greek word "polis", meaning the state or community as a whole. The concept of the "polis" was an ideal state and came from the writings of great political thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. In his novel "The Republic", Plato describes the ideal state and the means to achieve it. Hence, the word politics originally has connotations in the ways in which to create the ideal society. An ideal society is in practice a rather difficult aim and even an impossible aim to achieve. Politics implies measures which could and should, in the views of their devisor, be implemented in the hope to create a better society, than that which is already present. The very...
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...WHAT IS POLITICS? Why do we have to be interested in politics? If you’re not, others will influence the decisions that govern your lives. For example, who decides to declare war, to fix taxes….Ignorant is manipulated. Aristotle, the founder of the discipline, called politics the “master science”: he meant that almost everything happens in a political context. For example, politics is connected to economics: suppose a hurricane or earthquake strikes a country, in this case it is the political system that decides for example which victims to aid. The disaster is natural, but its impact on society is controlled by politics. Politics may be immoral: we have a misuse of power, corruption…. But even if we don’t like these features, we have to understand how things go on: how A gets B to do what A wants. This is what Political Science tries to explain. Political Science is related to the other social sciences: - History: it’s an important source of data for political scientists (if we analyze the Cold War (1947-1989), we have to know the events so history). But the data are handled differently: political scientists look for generalizations, historians for details. - Geography: physical and human (ethnic areas, regions …….) - Economics: many political quarrels are economic. A good economic development may be the basis for democracy, only few poor countries are democratic. - Sociology: Political Science starts by looking at society to see “who thinks what”about politics. For...
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...What is politics and why is it important? “Politics” is a word that poses a multitude of meanings because of its international character. It originated from ancient Greece from the greek word for a city state which in terms originates from the word for community. It meant the “matters of the city”. Through the years and into the different languages its meaning drifted apart to some extent. In general this word is associated with the governing process. The way society is being ruled and the way people are being influenced and molded to believe in their representatives and their ideals and goals. This idea explains politics more as a tool for a one-way communication between the governor, whether he is the president of the republic or of the company or any other executive member that has power over a collective, and said collective. Being a one-way channel, this leads to the easy abuse of the method and the present day “bad ring” to the word. Even so this does not diminish the importance of “Politics”. Politicians and politics serve a vital role in society because, love them or hate them, in the current state of the international, or at least, local, community no other alternatives exist for the healthy life of a civilizations. Leaders and their one way communication will always exist at least for now. This is why politics is so important for us. The mentioned abuse of the system only occurs due to its reliance on trust. This explains why it so easily corruptible. It takes...
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...What is meant by ‘pork-barrel politics’, and what is its significance in Congress? Pork Barrel politics is a common practice in us congress where congressmen attach funding to a project that specifically benefits their constituencies or special interest groups. By attaching pork, or earmarks, to bill, politicians have an active track record of how they have benefited their constituents or the interest groups that they are supported by. This money is therefore traded for voter support and also campaign donations. Senator Thad Cochran was labeled ‘King of Pork’ in 2012. The practice has been criticized, most notably by those on the right, for encouraging wasteful spending. As earmarks circumvent the traditional method of receiving appropriations for bills, there has been a spiral of politicians attaching unnecessary earmarks to their project that do not benefit a wide range of people. Pork barrel spending peaked in 2006 with about 14,000 projects receiving 30 billion. Fiscally conservative Republican’s, who are concerned with lowering federal spending and lowering debt, insult the practice. This has lead to speaker John Boehner introducing a ban on earmarks, so to improve the trust between the public and legislators. This ban however has proved somewhat ineffective, many legislators finding ways in which they can bypass the restrictions. By subtly hinting to agencies where money should be spent when writing up a project, there has been a growth in so call ‘zombie earmarks’...
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...Pork barrel politics refers to the mechanism by which Congressmen can add amendments to a Bill that directly benefits their state or district. For example, in 2008 the Gravina Island Bridge in Alaska was pushed for by Republican Senator Ted Stevens. The project cost $398 million yet only benefited around 50 people living on the island. The objective of doing such a thing would be to improve re-election prospects and show to their constituents that they can deliver things such as economic or employment opportunities in their state or district. This can be seen to be significant to Congress as it enhances incumbent advantage. Incumbent advantage is the advantage existing candidates have in elections against challengers and means that it is difficult for anyone to contest an existing congressman. Pork barrel politics will make this worse as it will increase the incumbent’s record of getting things done for their constituents such as Ben Nelson who was able to get “pork” into the Obamacare bill for his state and was re-elected in 2012. This may not be such a bad thing in of itself but it has a direct effect on Congress as it means that the same people will be elected over and over again and this can hinder change and could prevent other, potentially better, candidates from winning the seat. However, it can be argued that despite this, each incumbent still has to stand in elections and it is still the electorate’s decision whether or not to re-elect them. Another reason pork barrel...
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...What impact has neoliberalism had on world politics? Neoliberalism is an economic philosophy that rose in prominence from the eighties following the elections of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Jones, Parker and Bos (2005: 100) summarise the essence of this view as “markets good, governments bad”. Neoliberalism argues that free trade is beneficial to all nations, that governments create inefficiency and waste, and that the distribution of goods should therefore be left to individuals and firms competing in the market to maximise their utility (WHO 2010). To ensure an efficient allocation of resources, neoliberalists argue for widespread liberalisation i.e. the reduction of rules and restrictions, and the privatisation of public enterprises. However, the reality of Neoliberalism has been very different to the theory. Regulation provides the framework within which markets work and enables the moderation of the externalities they produce, thus deregulation was in fact limited and was quickly followed by regulation (Levi-Faur 2005: 13). Because of this, Polanyi (in Peck, 2010: 330) writes: “the road to a free market was opened and kept open by an enormous increase in continuous, centrally organized and controlled interventionism”. In this essay, I look at the impacts of Neoliberalism on World Politics, focusing on two in particular. Firstly I explain that the policies of liberalisation and privatisation, albeit supported by regulation, have led to increasing inequality...
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...To what extent does the PM dominate the UK political system? Some say that the Britain has entered an era of elective dictatorship; this is when a government that is elected but has won so many votes that it can do what It likes1. In the UK we have a first past the post voting system so theoretically speaking once elected government can do as they please as they have been given the power to do so by the majority of voters who voted them in. The Prime Minister is the head of government and as head of the executive he has powers that can portray him as a dictator not someone representing the ideas of the general population. For example the conservative government introduced ‘the bedroom tax’ if this was David Cameron’s idea he has the power to ensure that his party vote for this law even if they disagree. In this essay I will evaluate evidence on how much the PM dominates the political system in the UK and conclude by giving my opinion on to what extent he controls the political system. The PM is head of the executive and seen as the most important figure of UK politics, with this comes powers and responsibility’s that arguably makes him the most powerful man in the country. The ability to hand pick your cabinet is a key factor on how much the PM controls the political system of, being able to choose who does what job in the country means the PM holds the careers and more importantly the livelihoods of the ministers in his hand because he has the ability to hire and fire ministers...
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...Interest groups are used throughout American politics and can be used to influence American politics. Franklin D. Roosevelt states, “We must especially beware of that small groups of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests” (Whye). Interest groups are groups of people who come together to increase their common interest or to change the minds of people in politics. Additionally, interest groups are also called lobbyist. The majority of interest groups represent corporations or businesses and other types of interest groups represent labor unions, occupations or social groups. There are special interests groups such as the American Bar Association (the associations of lawyers) and the American...
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...In the 1960’s the United states was on the brink of war. A while after the bay of pigs invasion president Kennedy was killed. The effects of politics on the United states influenced the next generation to make completely different choices. President Nixon was in office and started offensive operations in vietnam which warranted the creation of the war powers act. The Vietnam war started in the mid 60’s and started a new movement of peace. The main influence to the new generation was the music. A new type of music was created and appropriately named “acid rock”. “Acid rock” was a category of music that used the effects of drugs to boost the feeling of the music. The hippies adopted this music as their own. “Acid rock” brought on a new type...
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...5. To what extent and in what ways does Romantic writing engage with gender politics? The study of Literature is inherently involved with a deconstruction of the complex and textured manner in which author’s attempt to express what it is to be human. To be human is a diverging experience between the sexes, both biological and socially, and consequently the extent of gender equitability within society has always been a prevalent and contended concern. An engagement with this contention will define gender politics for this essay. Jane Austen and Mary Shelley, writing at the beginning of the nineteenth-century, joined their female contemporaries in a growing generation of authoresses who forged careers in discipline of male authority. In this respect, they are inescapably engaging with gender politics. Margaret Kirkham comments that ‘this burgeoning of the female talent...was bound to have a profound effect upon any young woman beginning to write once it had occurred’, suggesting that, regardless of whether the female intended to represent female concerns within their work; a female, in becoming ‘an author, was, in itself, a feminist act’ (Kirkham 33). With the status of the authoress in mind whilst analysing Northanger Abbey and Frankenstein, this essay will focus how Austen and Shelley engage with gender politics through characterization and narrative form, and the female concerns they address, both implicitly and explicitly, throughout their texts. Austen predominately engages...
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...What was the Enlightenment and how did it influence the politics of the 19th century? The Enlightenment was, in its simplest sense, a body of writers and writings of 18th century Europe which advocated reason and the belief in human rationality above all else and challenged long-standing values and institutions which were based on traditional and religious beliefs. The political ideas of the Enlightenment, which can be best understood against the backdrop of 18th century absolutism and the dominance of Christian world-views, denounced the ‘divine right of kings’ and called for reform in governance (Gieben and Hall, 1992:23). These were the ideas that influenced 19th century politics, and gradually led to the switch from all-powerful monarchies to the democracies of the modern world. In this essay I shall give a brief overview of the Enlightenment whilst focusing mainly on its political ideas and put these ideas in context by describing the political landscape of the time. I will then discuss how these political ideas shaped the politics of the 19th century. I will limit myself to looking at the influence of the Enlightenment on European politics as that is where its affect was most sharply felt and was the main location for the Enlightenment movement (Gieben and Hall,1992:72). The Enlightenment was the emergence of new ways of thinking which came about mainly in 18th century Europe, although Enlightenment ideas can also be seen in the 17th century, for example in the writings...
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...What does history tells us about the politics of race in the contemporary United States? History tells us that African Americans were discriminated for many years in the United States, and today we celebrate the achievements that were fought for and gained. The marking of civil rights anniversaries are an important part of identity and represent a truly extraordinary shift in the American culture and politics (Romano, 2014). The politics of race has been a long fought fight for African Americans to achieve given rights like the right for voting, they celebrate this through anniversaries for remembrances of given occasions and for celebration. This is emphasized by the civil rights anniversary to show the history of struggle for freedom, to show racial progress and reconciliation in increasingly multi-racial society (Romano, 2014). History shows African Americans has been fighting for the achievement of equality and justice within the state and for possible peaceful changes within the system (Romano, 2014). This can be proved by the anniversary celebration as it represent the movements of struggle for civil rights and much attention given for ending the legal segregation over the economic justice demand. History even shows, how some given deaths of prominent people occurred who were in the race fighting for the freedom of achievement of their rights (Romano, 2014). The history of politics shows the achievements that have been achieved by the African Americans like the...
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...To what extent was there a ‘post war consensus’ in British politics from 1951 to 1964? (900 Words) Whether or not there truly was a ‘post war consensus’ in British politics from 1951 to 1964 is a highly debatable topic of which historians can often appear to be in two minds about; on one hand, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson infamously described the period as ‘Thirteen years wasted’, whereas historian Robert Blake (a supporter of the Conservatives’, regards it as a ‘Golden age of growth’. The likes of Kevin Jeffrey’s even argue that consensus had even started before the war. Overall, the central issue was the idea of a mixed economy. If we were to argue that there was indeed a post war consensus in British politics from 1951 to 1964, it would be easy to turn straight away to the legacy of the feats in Clement Atlee’s government policies from July 1945 to October 1951. Atlee’s policies were for the most part successful, leaving him with a reputation of having led a government which actually attained its goals. Perhaps the most prominent part of Atlee’s legacy was the establishment of The National Health Service and The Welfare State, establishments which arguably meant that, despite the long run of Conservative dominance in the years following Atlee’s departure, both society and politics would remain in the Labour mould; Conservative party members proved far less hostile to the concept of a Welfare State due to its popular success, and they were well aware that to revoke...
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...of view that one's own way of life is to be preferred to all others. Flowing logically from the process of early enculturation, it characterizes the way most individuals feel about their own culture, whether or not they verbalize their feeling. Therefore this essay will discuss what is understood by the term ethnocentrism and show how Ethnocentrism is bad in national politics. Firstly will define what ethnocentrism is, and discuss fully what is understood by the term. Secondly will show how ethnocentrism is bad for national politics. Thereafter a clear and concise conclusion will be drawn. Different scholars have given their understanding of the term ethnocentrism. According to anthropologists, the concept combines the belief that one’s own culture is superior to other cultures, with the practice of judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture (Den Van, 1970). Ethnocentrism is also defined as a feeling that one’s own group has a mode of living, values and patterns of adaptation that are superior to other groups. Ethnocentrism is a human universal phenomenon. It is believed by some scholars to be as old as the human race. This stand is justified thus right from childhood we learn what is good, moral, civilised and normal according to our culture. As a human universal reality, ethnocentrism is said to be more pronounced in modern nations than in pre-literate tribes. The term ethnocentrism was first used in 1906 by Sumner to...
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...Title: What do Kaldor and Selchow mean by ‘subterranean politics’ in Europe, and what are the implications of their four findings? Do you think their study has really demonstrated the usefulness and credibility of their approach? From the title of this essay, it allows the reader to understand that this assignment will be associated with Subterranean Politics. It will also inform the reader on a research project carried out to examine a new range of Political phenomena called Subterranean Politics (Kaldor & Selchow 2013: 78). Four findings will then be discussed on what is meant by subterranean politics. This essay will also show the context, methodology and literature of Kaldor and Selchows discoveries of the ‘bubbling up’ of subterranean politics. It will explain the striking affects that this new type of politics on Europe. This substantive content will give information that entices one to discover the currents of opinions or new political inventiveness that have the capability to stop Europe from falling apart (Kaldor & Selchow 2012: 1). It will then look deep into the study to see whether or not it has demonstrated an image of the usefulness and credibility of their approach towards this type of politics. Europe today is seen to be going through a Financial and Socio-Economic Crisis. “At this point in subterranean politics, grassroots activism protests and multiple ‘new’ types of political phenomena with research was carried out by seven field teams from each end...
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