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Politics is the study of decision-making power at the inter-social and societal levels. It concerns how we coordinate our actions for mutual (or personal) gain, or, as political scientist Harold Lasswell said, politics is "who gets what, when and how."

In addition to government, journalists, religious groups, special interest groups, and economic systems and conditions may all have influence on decisions. Therefore, politics touches on all these subjects.

Authors of studies of politics have both reflected and influenced the political systems of the world. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince, an analysis of politics in a monarchy, in 1513, while living in a monarchy. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The Communist Manifesto" in 1848 and it went on to be one of the most influential works of the twentieth century. Today, much study of politics focuses on democracies, and how their form affects the decisions they make.

Other lines of political inquiry attempt to answer philosophical questions: is there a moral justification for government? What is the purpose of government?

As well being influenced by these weighty matters, politics is also a social activity, and as such it is subject to the whims of fashion as any other.

Political science

Political scientists are academics who research the conduct of politics. They look at elections, public opinion, institutional activities (how legislatures act, the relative importance of various sources of political power etc), the ideologies behind various politicans and political organisations, how politicians achieve and wield their influence, and so on.

Political Systems and Ideologies

Anarchism -- Anarcho-capitalism -- anarcho-communism -- anti-communism -- authoritarianism -- Capitalism -- classical liberalism -- Communism -- Conservatism -- Corporatocracy -- Democracy -- democratic socialism -- Fascism -- leftism -- Liberalism -- Libertarianism -- Libertarian socialism --Marxism -- Meritocracy -- Minarchism -- Nationalism -- National Socialism -- Oligarchy -- post-communism -- Republicanism -- Socialism -- stalinism -- totalitarianism -- Theocracy

Sector-Based Ideologies

Feminism -- Masculism

Political Entities

City -- City-state -- Country -- Federal -- Government -- Nation-state -- police state -- Province -- Republic -- State

Political philosophy

The justification of the state -- Anarchism and natural law theory -- Social contract theories -- Raw is moral philosophy -- Consequentialist justifications of the state -- The purpose of government

Classical and modern political theorists

Plato -- Aristotle -- Mustafa Kemal Ataturk -- John Locke -- Karl Marx -- John Stuart Mill -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau -- Johann Gottfried von Herder -- Lysander Spooner -- Henry David Thoreau -- Ludwig von Mises

Contemporary Political Theorists

David Friedman -- Noam Chomsky -- John Rawls -- Jan Narveson -- David Gauthier -- Amartya Sen -- Jürgen Habermas -- James Buchanan

Electoral Systems

Misplaced Pages contains many articles on Voting systems

Miscellaneous

International organization -- Corporate police state -- Crony capitalism -- European Union -- Police -- Propaganda -- U.S. Politics -- Political spectrum -- Political party-- Political parties of the world -- Techno-democracy -- Techno-oligarchy -- Terrorism -- Political Compass