- What is politics?
- What are politics for?
- Policy features
- Political systems
- Political power
- Political ideologies
We explain what the policy is, its functions and characteristics. Also, what is a political system, political power and ideology.
What is politics?
Politics is usually defined as the set of decisions and measures taken by certain groups that hold the can, in order to organize asociety or group particular.
The term politics is very broad since one can speak of politics in the strict sense (that is, applied togovernments Ynations) or other institutions when talking about business policies, institutional, among others.
Many authors define politics as the "exercise of power", because politics is understood as one of the many ways of exercising can in order to mediate differences of interest between peers in a particular society.
The word politics comes from Latinpoliticus, which comes from the Greek politiká and refers to public affairs, in the 5th century BC. Aristotle popularized the term with his work "Politics".
There are different branches that derive from politics, such as the Politic science, political philosophy, political economy, among others. It is important to distinguish between people who practice politics (political officials) and those who are in charge of studying it (political scientists).
It can serve you:Political scientist
What are politics for?
Politics arose as a need for individuals to organize themselves in order to make decisions, meet objectives, reach agreements and facilitate life in society by solving conflicts democratically.
It is believed that it has its beginnings in the Neolithic period, when society began to organize itself hierarchically and some individuals obtained power over the rest, which is why it is argued that politics is as old as politics.humanity per se.
In a system democratic, the citizens they elect certain individuals to occupy the main political positions and, from there, represent them in the face of conflicts or situations typical of community life, both internally and externally (in relation to other countries).
Policy features
Some of the salient features of the policy are:
- It is a form of power.
- It is carried out by individuals chosen by the citizens.
- Seeks to resolve conflicts within a society to guarantee the common benefit.
- It is made up of a set of activities and responsibilities.
- It is studied by political scientists.
- It is implemented both at the level of state as well as groups and institutions.
- It is embodied in different political systems and forms of government.
Political systems
A political system is a set of institutions, beliefs Y values, generally under the command of one or more political parties that guide the direction of a government. Political systems vary in each State according to the relationship established between the powers that constitute it.
Political systems can be:
- Authoritarian systems. They are characterized by the suppression of freedoms individuals, mainly the expression and representation. All political activity is concentrated in the hands of a single party. These systems are characterized by excessive power attributed to a single person or Leader for a prolonged period of time and a very weak or non-existent division of powers. Some examples of authoritarian forms of government are: tyranny, dictatorship, the oligarchy and the anarchy.
- Democratic systems. They are characterized by the division of powers. The people do not exercise power directly, but elect their representatives (who remain in office for a specified period of time) through free elections. Some examples of ways to democratic government are the republic, presidentialism and constitutional monarchy.
Political power
Political power is made up of the sum of responsibilities and actions exercised by individuals who have access to political office. In a democratic system, politicians are elected by citizens freely and by popular vote.
Power is handed over by the people to the representatives to act for the common good, respecting the functions assigned to each political office, advocating for the rights and freedoms of citizens, and guaranteeing the fulfillment of obligations.
Political power is considered abusive when it exceeds its functions and obligations, generally taking responsibilities of other powers as its own. The abuse of political power has led, over the years and in many countries of the world, to the emergence of authoritarian figures and tyrannical systems of government that did not respect the popular will.
Political ideologies
When referring to political ideologies it is possible to make a division into two groups:
- Left politics. Such as socialism or communism, which mainly seek thesocial equality.
- Right-wing politics. As is heliberalism and conservatism, which abide by the right toprivate property and to the free market.