Political Systems

Forms of government and  the State: Various attempts have been made to classify states, but these attempts have been unsatisfactory be cause they rest upon mo scientific principle by which the fundamental characteristics of various states may be distinguished. In their nature, in their legal character, and in their primary purposes, states are essentially similar. … Read more

The nature of political power: A working theory of the State must, in fact, be conceived in administrative terms. Its will is the decision arrived at by a small number of men to whom is confided the legal power of making decisions. How that power is organized is rather a matter of form than of … Read more

A new political philosophy is necessary to a new world. The perspective of social thought has shifted in a direction different from the horizon set for it by Bentham and Hegel in the last century. If the large aims we have in view are not dissimilar to theirs, the materials at our command and the … Read more

Division of Powers on Territorial Basis: In addition to the distribution of governmental powers in accordance with the character of the function to be performed, as discussed in the preceding article, modern states, because of the extent of their area, find it desirable also to divide the powers of government along territorial lines. According to … Read more

Necessity for Separation of Powers: Because of the extent of modern states in area and population and because of the wide range of interests with which their governments deal, a large number of persons are occupied in government, and considerable distribution of power among various organs is necessary. One of the main principles on which … Read more

Nature of Political Parties. A political party consists of a group of citizens, more or less organized, who am as a political unit and who, by the use of their voting power, aim to control the government and carry out their general policies. it is the most elaborate and comprehensive form in which public opinion … Read more

Historical development of the evolution of the state : The preceding article in tracing the origin of the state, found difficulty in fixing he exact process by which the state came into existence and in separating political institution from other closely related forms similar problems confront an attempt to outline the historical development of political … Read more

The fundamental principles that determine the form of a state are called its constitution. These include the method by which the state is organized, the distribution of its sovereign powers among the various organs of government, the scope and manner of exercise of governmental functions, and the government’s relation to the people over whom its … Read more

Development of the Legislature. In the early stages, the making of law was not an important function of government. Law was viewed as divine in origin, or as existing in long-standing customs and traditions, or as deduced by reason from fundamental natural principles. Such new laws as were made were created by rulers or magistrates … Read more

Nature of the Executive Department: In its broadest sense, the executive department consists of all government officials except those acting in a legislative or judicial capacity. It includes all the government agencies that are concerned with the execution of the state’s will as expressed in terms of the law. As thus considered, it includes. The … Read more