Lecture notes
What is Politics
- Module
- British Politics
- Institution
- Nottingham Trent University (NTU)
Introduction isn’t what Politics is
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
1: WHAT IS POLITICSSome definitions:
An elementally social activity
“Who gets what, when, and how” Harold Lasswell
The nature of politics:
Conflict / conflict resolution
Social setting / context varies but not human instincts
About ‘values allocations’ – the ‘things’ that matter, material and non-material
Is anything excluded? – Aristotle’s boundary out-dated??
The logics of politics
Scarcity of resources
Inequality of access / political opportunity / elites
Differential power resources
Human discontents: material and ideational / ideological
Differential social status
ALL above are sources of conflict / competition and require conflict resolution
BOTH of which are the essence of politics
The arenas of politics
Where politics is played out: locations
And modus operandi – methods of politics
‘High’ politics and ‘Low’ politics
International / global arenas: war, diplomacy, IGOs
States: government, administration, political parties; democratic and non-democratic
‘persuasion’
Territorial polities: states, regions, provinces
Local / municipal governance: city, town and county
Organised groups / special interests: lobbying
‘Disorganised’ groups, collective action and mass politics: assassinations, rebellions,
revolutions, movements, terrorism, demos, the crowd and the ‘mob’
War: is war ‘politics by other means’? (Carl von Clausewitz 1780-1831) – ‘War is thus an act
of force to compel our enemy to do our will’
Individual actions: terrorism, assassinations, murder, hunger strikes, protests, blogging etc.
Politics in the modern liberal state
Modernisation is key here – followed historically by liberalism and democracy
1. Pluralistic: multiple sources / locations of political power/authority
2. Consensual: with the broad consent / agreement of publics / electorate and society at large
3. Ideological: ideas about the ‘ideal’ society drives political parties – though not in an
extremist sense, except at the margins of society
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller verityforster. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £8.16. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now