"Politics is social activity involved when a group of people has discussion over what the group should be doing and how it should achieve its goals"
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Recurring theme
- Competing interests and values inside any given groups - "who gets what, when and how"
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what are 3 Laswell's vision of politics
- scarcity of resources - conflicts and competition => main characters of politics - cooperation and consensus building, sharing resources
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Give 3 reasons for negative POV of POWER in politics
- Power is unevenly distributed - Power corrupts - Power conflicts and abused
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Give at least 3 reasons of positive POV of POWER in politics
- Democracy and cooperation - Power as a productive thing - Power allow changing the world and people's lives for the better => a mean to achieve goals
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Define Normative approach in Politics (what it questions and concern with?)
- Questions norms and values - "What ought to be" as opposed to what "is" - Concerned with ethical questions - Influence of values in political values/motivations
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Example of how Normative approach works
- How a person votes => looking at their personal beliefs => things that can't be turned into data. What kind of model and standards shapes politics in society? - To identify the effects of certain norms or values on politics - Recognize bias in research - determine what is desirable and good in politics
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Define the Semantic approach
- Focuses on the meaning of the concept used when talking about or representing politics.
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Example of how Semantic approach works
- Where these concepts came from Ex. when talking about indigenous topics can we use the term 'sovereignty' - Focuses on language, writing, representations, symbols used to describe political events/situations
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What is Positivism?
- holds that science must limit itself to what is observable and insists on a clear separation between fact and value.
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What is the relationship between Positivism and normative approach?
-positivism holds that normative claims are meaningless: The only meaningful statements are those that can be either investigated empirically, by observation, or examined semantically.
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Define empirical approach
- Focuses on identifying observable phenomena, closest to scientific methods. Break down a phenomenon that is measurable, analyse data that are measurable => and collect data that is measurable (certain knowledge)
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The differences between normative approach and empirical approach
- Opposed to thinking "its ought to be that way" - Be objective as possible - Achieve certainty
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Define behaviouralism in the Empirical approach
- Develop in the USA after 1945 - Aim to apply scientific method to study of social phenomena like politics - Aspires to perfect objectivity - Measures and predict human behaviour - BUT Critics say knowledge produced is debatable
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What is deductive reasoning in empirical approach?
- Rational choice theories of politics - Rational choice analysis developed in economics - Starts with fundamental assumptions about human behaviour - Deduced before tested against facts - Assumes humans are rational beings
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What is inductive reasoning in empirical approach?
- Behaviouralism - Start with empirical observations - Draw explanatory generalisations from them - Focuses more on gathering data than generation of theory
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What is the ancient Greek Polis?
- Politics comes from greek word "polis" - Notion of polis is heart of what we concern with political science - Translated as city/ city-state - Polis form of political entity, form of political community, unified moral body => Notion of the Common Good
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The relationship between Ancient Greek and the Common Good
- Ancient Greek, a well-ordered city-state was necessary to achieve the COMMON GOOD. - This is what members of the community shared, officials (documents) to all of them as a community, collective notions - For Plato, the COMMON GOOD is to Politics what TRUTH is to philosophy -> the highest goals - The COMMON GOOD is also applied to the best interest of community
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Why is Polis similar to state we live in today?
- Each polis has own governance - Difference law making powers - Responsible for laws of polis - Making sure community well governed, ordered - Each was autonomous - Culturally, politically different
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In Polis, politics viewed as... Politics as a human activity, purpose, done in a...
rational activity conscious way
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What are the ways to achieve Common Good?
- Deliberation, public speech, and dialogues are means to achieve the Common Good
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Plato believed that who should governance the polis and why so?
- Plato believes that the polis should be governed by philosophers (people who know that TRUTH). - They don't want to be in charge, they don't want power. - Their whole life is orientated to seek the TRUTH. They know what the COMMON GOOD commands. THE COMMON GOOD ⇔ THE TRUTH
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What is Machiavellian?
- Utilitarian → end justifies means - Self interested - Extremist
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When did Machiavelli write The Prince? and when was he born
- 1513 and published in 1532 - 1469
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Why did he write the Prince?
- To convince the government to let him back into a position of power. - Trying to flatter the Prince, he is smart, has something to offer, he is also benevolent and wanted to offer practical. (A mirror to the Prince) - In the language of his time, he was addressing the top of the city-states (prince = highest power)
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What is Machiavelli is often considered of and what is that idea entitled?
- Often considered the first Modern political theorist - Western political thought, "modern" = not referring to time/time period -> Referring to the political context that revolves around the state
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What is Raison d'Etat?
- the interest of the states as an institution.
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What did Machiavelli idea of radical separation (what made him a modernist) ?
- Insist radical separation of politics, religions, and question of ethics - Politics is art, activity, has its own rationality - Conceptualise power w/o reference to morality/religion - Maintain the Security of the State - Prince could rule without consideration of God
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What were Machiavelli's ideas about power?
- Practical view of power - Politics is practical activity - How can the Prince gain and maintain power - The end justifies the means -> Maintain power and security-> act unethically
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According to Machiavelli, what do the the prince have to do (based on his practical questions)
- Prince have to "act in defiance of good faith, charity, kindness, religion" - Prince must be willing, able to do above - For Machiavelli, the end always justifies the means
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What are the qualities of a good Prince?
- Prince should be willing to make unpopular decisions for the state - The prince power doesn't come from God or from rare knowledge of Truth - Power comes from ability to enact virtue, act in interest of City-state - Ultimately prince can only count on himself and his virtu
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differneces between Virtue and Virtu
- Virtue deals with morality - Virtu is political effectiveness
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Different between the Politics and Virtu
- Politics is a matter of practical skills, vision, talent, attitude, and dedication. - Virtue implies strength, flexibility, and wisdom (in which have talent, right attitude and dedication)
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How do we know if the Prince has virtu?
- if he achieves honour, glory, and fame - "One ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is diff for two go tgtg, musch safer to be feared than loved" - Anti democratic
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What is Fortuna?
- The goddess of chance, control the world's destiny. Unpredictable - Changes of fortune will inevitably happen - Power -> requires flexibility -> adapt to changing circumstances. - Be impetuous, never retreats and not overly prudent
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What is the idea of the Prince that associate with Fortuna?
- Fortuna os "the arbiter of half the things we do"... "the other half or so [is] to be controlled by ourselves - An impetuous prince os more likely to have his way, than one who is overly cautious - Ultimately, prince needs courage, to adapt, to change, to face difficulties
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Legal and moral in Anitgone
What is legal isn't always moral, what is moral isn't always legal
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What was Creon's ruling was an example of in Antigone?
- Arbitrary and tyranny (censorship and power) - He doesn't follow due process - His law is made/ applied inconsistently - The application of his law depends on the use of physical force - It does not align with the majority's notion of justice - Unpredictable and unreason, no reasons on how these powers work
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Tyranny in Creon's ruling
- Creon operate on the basis of fear, physical forces and coercion
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Arbitrary power in Creon's ruling
- Unpredictable and with no logic behind it
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Justice in Antigone
- Justice is normative notion - Largely an idea, an ideal
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Law in Antigone
- Law is a mechanism, political means to achieve justice - Yet, the law is NOT NECESSARY ALWAYS JUST
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Opposition in Antigone
- Opposition and protest are important aspects of politics - Speaks truth to Power
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Relationship between law and politics
- Politics often exists in the margins of law - Law isn't necessary equivalent to politics Politics doesn't always come from a place of power
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Antigone is considered a symbol of?
- "speaks truth to power" - "opposing law when it is unjust" - Parrhesia: "To speak freely with an obligation to be truthful and for the sake of the common good. Even at the cost of facing consequences"
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What is Democracy?
- Method of collective decision making - People affected by decision should be making decision - Premised on equality of all members of grp - Everyone has equal say - Power rests with people - Democracy is matter of political equality
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What is direct democracy?
- a government in which people vote to make their own rules and laws - people who are affected by the decision, they are directly involved in the decision making
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What is a representative democracy? (definition)
- a government in which citizens choose a smaller group to govern on their behalf - elect people that represent our will and interests in a governmental institution
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What is Tyranny of the Majority and the idea of equality in representative democracy?
- "equality of all groups" =/ does not say equality among who - 1 person= 1 vote =/ equality - minority whose will and interests are not represented to the same extent as others.
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Define legitimacy in democracy
- the quality of someone or an institution that has a rightful claim to exercising authority or power.
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Define political obligation in democracy
- Democracy is often cited as the main reason why citizens have an obligation to obey the law - In democracy, laws are made by elected representatives and are said to express the will of the power
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What are the basic elements of Representative Democracy
- Competition: between different options - Accountability: people choosing their government/ remove them - Equality (one adult citizen = one vote) - People must have the possibility of changing their government if they want (Lively, 1975)- according to the will that people voted and the interest of the population
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What are the basic elements and the idea of separation of power in Liberal Democracy?
- The basic elements of representative democracy - Separation of power: government =/ courts of law => they don't intertwine with each other => ACCOUNTABILITY
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Human and civil rights aspect of Liberal Democracy
- Freedom of thought and speech - Freedom from harm - Freedom of association and petition - Free market economy (laissez-faire) = fundamental element of liberalism. VIEW as basic human rights
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What are the ideas of the Rule of Law?
- The rule of law is a liberal democratic principle - Everyone is equal before the law - No one is above the law - Laws are made based on due process - Laws have to make consistent with the constitution - Constrain the government to a certain extend - The processes involved in making and applying the law must be transparent and public - The courts are the guardian of the rule of law
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What are the problem concerning with majority rule?
- tyranny of the majority - Democracy implies being ruled according to the will of the majority - Government has to rule in everyone's interests - The minority (minorities) isn't getting the same level of representation - The minority can also be discriminated against as a result of democratic decisions - More than 2 government => minorities are disregarded
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What is negative liberty? (Isaiah Berlin)
- Freedom from external constraint Ex. american bill of rights (first ten amendments) - In what area should a person be left to be free to do what they want without government interference?
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What is Positive liberty ? ( Isaiah Berlin )
- Freedom to attain desired outcome and self-development Ex. liberal welfare state (free education, health care, childcare) - What form of support/ intervention from the government is required to allow a person to positively enjoy their freedom?
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What is Democratic Elitism?
- Elitism is a perspective according to which state institutions are and should be controlled by political leaders - Ordinary citizens are happy to leave politics to the elites.
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What is Protective Democracy?
- Democracy is seen as a mechanism where people protect themselves from the intervention of the government - See participation as a burden that individuals accept only to endure that politicians are accountable - Negative freedom
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What did Schumpeter believe in for Democratic Elitism?
- Argues it's possible to reconcile elitism and democracy - Different elites rep difference interest/values (compete for the privilege of representing people) - Citizen choose preferred elites, but not policies - Claimed masses are irrational - Citizens can be easily manipulated - Political judgement weak
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What is Participatory democracy and its idea on citizen?
- Citizen participation is said to deepen democracy by installing civic values and making more informed citizens - Deepens democracy - Citizens who participate = more virtuous, intelligent - Understand need for cooperation - Self worth increases
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What is deliberative democracy?
- based on the work of Jurgen Habermas - Choices must be developed through deliberation, debate, and reflection - Public debate increases the rationality and legitimacy of the decisions that are being made - Important for citizens to have places where there can be face-to-face deliberations (Discussion, municipal, consultation.
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What are the criques concerning Deliberative democracy?
- Not enough for voters to have opportunity to exercise political choice - True democracy must allow choices to be develop through discussion/reflection. - too difficult to reach consensus, exaggerating the facility in which we can reach consensus in a deliberative model (everyone has different backgrounds/believes)
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What is institution?
- Established organization that present "regular patterns of behaviour that give stability and predictability to social life (Garner et al. 154) - Institutions can be informal (families social classes) - Some are formal (states, governments, political parties....)
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Max Weber's definition on sovereignty
- the state is an institution claiming a "monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force in enforcing its order within a given territorial area". - Idea of sovereignty is specific to state - Monopoly, we know it speaks to the state - State only allowed to use legitimate power
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What are the idea of Sovereignty State ?
- The state has sovereignty, for example, "supreme authority to make and enforce law inside a given territory". - In theory sovereignty is above challenge - In practice, sovereignty is often challenged inside and outside the state
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Define "Monopoly of Physical Power"
State can do what is necessary to make sure law is represented => order
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State is a 2 level concepts
- Referring to government of country, executive government - OR structure of political authority - Structure of Political Authority -> State has permanence → continues to exist even when the government removed from power (court, police)
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How did Max Weber refer to what is legitimate?
- Democracy: make sure there is no abuse in power - States: can only use force that is considered legitimate
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What is De Jure ?
- Legal right to rule supremely - Legal status of state - What gives state right to be recognized by UN - A flag that is recognized by other state
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What is De Facto?
-Actual ability of government to wield political power & authority - Ability to maintain order - External challenges → globalisation - The things connect states diminishes states ability to make decisions by itself
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Define coercion
- Sheer physical force, sheer power - No consent
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Define manipulation
- Illegitimate authority - Middle ground - Managed to make group do something
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Define consent
- Legitimate authority - Consent is freely given - Acceptance that power is legal and right
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What are the threefold classification of authority that Max Weber proposed?
- Traditional: based on traditional customs and values - Charismatic: based on the personality and the quality of a person (Make judgements on basis of charisma) - Legal - rational: based on the status of a person's office and or the legality of the process by which they obtained this position of authority (judges are nominated, not elected.
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3 typology of the State in which they can be classified based on
1, how much they intervene in society (pp22) - Night watchman state - Welfare state - Socialist state 2, how democratic they are (p24) - Liberal democracies - Illiberal democracies - Authoritarian regimes - Totalitarian regimes 3, How strong or weak they are (p 167 b- 172)
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What is Pluralism according to Robert Dalh?
- one of the most important theorists of classical pluralism - A normal feature of any society is the presence of multiple groups, each with their own interests and pursuing their own objectives. - Groups compete to exercise political and economic influence inside society. - The role of the state is to regulate and mediate between these groups. - Power is diffuse or fragmented between different political actors.
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What are the Three Key ideas in Pluralism?
- Political influence takes different forms - Power is more complex than who has who doesn't - No group can claim exclusive influence on society, not even government - Even on given topic there is always competition between diff grps holding dif interests and vision (This is what politics is according to pluralists)
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What is the New Right?
- The movement aimed at implementing neoliberal ideas (support NEGATIVE FREEDOM) - An ideology based in liberal, claimed to be the new version - Mode of governance, exercising power inside the state - Based on the protection of individual rights, liberty - Tied to Social Contract Theory
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What are New Right POV on neo-liberal?
- Think liberal welfare state overstepped its original purpose - As an institution, the state has grown out of proportion both in terms of its size and powers - Rollback services - State reduces in size - Reduce money taxpayers (redistribution of health add burden on taxpayers) - Bring back to the value of negative freedom and individual freedom
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What is the Social contract tradition?
- the state exists as an institution, the origin of the state is found on the contract. - Citizens make the law with the protection of individual liberty - Trade-off individual liberty for protection and individual rights.
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What are the 2 reasons for the expansion of the state according to the New Right?
- Democracy: election results in politicians over-promising new things - State bureaucracy: bureaucracy of any state has a tendency to view its own growth as a good thing => want to take on more responsibility
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What are the New Right Political Programs?
- Tax cut - Roll back welfare services - Free trade - Privatisation of state industries and corporations
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What is political system?
- Large arena within which institutions compete or cooperate for influence - Example: - In the electoral system, parties compete to be elected and form the government - In the European modern state system states compete and or cooperate for greater influence and the defence for their interests
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The three principles of the Peace of Westphalia?
- Sovereign states have a fundamental right to self-determination (autonomy) - Legal equality between states - Nonintervention
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Sovereign states of the Peace of Westphalia
- Sovereign states have fundamental right to self-determination - Right to political autonomy - Recognized sovereign states have rights to pursue own affairs as they see fit and the exercise power inside their boundaries as they see fit - Established sovereignty of sovereign states
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Non Intervention idea in the Peace of Westphalia
- No states, other institution, clergies, have right to interfere within state - Influence stops at the border - Asserts states borders - Recognise sovereignty and independence - Formalise idea: states are institutions claiming exclusive power, have supreme authority over a territory
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What is External function?
- Managing relations with other states - Protecting their sovereignty population and territory from external threats
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What are the State three main internal functions according to Gill?
- Partisan - Guardian - Tool
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Define Partisan in the state internal function
- States pursue own institutional interests - Continuity of independence and authority - Continue their existence - Sort of going after idea: raison d'etat
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Define Guardian in the state internal function
- States work in interest of their population, focus on unity - States need to balance various interest → pluralism - Respond to population's expectations as to what they should be doing - Human security, services to the population, the justice system, democracy and freedom to participate in politics
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Define Tool in the state internal function
- states can be used as a "pliable instruments" used by one or more groups in society to achieve their own interests -> use states as a leverage to achieve their own goals
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Defining Colonialism
- Colonialism is a practice of dominations, which involves the political, economic, and cultural subjugation of one people to another
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Define settler colonialism.
- Practice of domination involving ongoing, permanent settlement of a colonising settle population - Implies land appropriation and displacement of Indigenous population - When state relied on permanent bureaucracy to enact actions
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Primary and Secondary purposes of Colonialism
- Primary purpose: Exploitation of human/natural resources - Secondary motivation: More ideological - Spread of so-called civilisation - Viewed as european's responsibility - Saw themselves as centre of universal progress - The spread of European political and bureaucratic structures world - wide was seen as contributing to humanity's progress - When former colonies gained or took their independence, they tended to make sure of the structure already in place
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Define Imperialism
- Ways in which one country exercise power over another country - Can be done direct/indirectly - Larger category than colonialism - Not always implies colonialism - BUT colonialism always implies imperialism - Colonialism always done direct, imperialism can be indirect
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How was Westphalia exported through the world?
- 1870s, European focus to gain power bc of resources - 1884, European leaders met in berlin - Scramble for africa. Discuss how to divide continent, conquer Africa - In 20 years, entire continent divided by european power - Complete disregard pre-existing population and political views - Borders drawn w disregard to ppls traditional governance
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Colonialism and the State that we are living in today
- Nothing natural about states we live in -> historically shaped by relations of power -> evaluation and critiques are needed - State is not necessarily the most important in politics -> just the dominant institutions - State form is presented throughout the world -> colonialism - > State not necessarily a universal form of governance
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Definition of Ideology
- Set of ideas designed to describe existing political order - a vision of what the ideal political order should look like - A set of belief for the world and how it should run, exercising. - The means to act politically to go from what exists to what we want - Pathway for actions, programs - evolve over time and have different stands or schools of thoughts within them - Not mutually exclusive -> Overlap