Political science : An introduction

Perhaps it is the same with introducing students to the complex and varied
subject of politics and government. So one might judge from the many ways
in which it is done. Many introductory courses proceed on the theory that
it is best to start with a single government and, in the course of analyzing
it, introduce the student to many of the major concepts of the subject. Others
proceed on the assumption that a comparative study of several governments
provides a broader base for the same idea. We have attempted-perhaps
incautiously—to present political science systematically, emphasizing the
unity of the discipline as a whole; for in all its variety, we believe it has
unity; and in all its particularity, we believe it has principles. This position
we seek to substantiate by elaborating numerous explanatory theoretical
propositions, together with the presentation of enough factual material to
give them both content and support. The purpose of this book is neither
to develop or expound a science of politics nor to solve problems. Rather,
it is to provide both factual and theoretical background that will provide
useful starting point for both kinds of endeavor.
In the chapters that follow we deal principally with the following
topics: (1) the most important concepts and theoretical tools used by the
political scientists; (2) the foundations of politics, the psychological, socio-
logical, and economic environment within which they operate, and the rela-
tions between these aspects of the environment and distinctly political forces