Synopses & Reviews
"Politics is a gateway to a broader and better understanding of human nature, society, and the world." This idea has inspired each edition of UNDERSTANDING POLITICS: IDEAS, INSTITUTIONS, AND ISSUES. Thomas Magstadt's book provides in-depth coverage of contemporary political issues and calls attention to the more enduring underlying questions. With its intense, engaging "politics are pertinent" theme and current, cutting-edge coverage, the Eleventh Edition will fascinate you with its coverage of three fundamental premises: 1) politics is a pervasive force in modern society; 2) government is too critically important to be left in the hands of a few; and 3) everyone has both the opportunity and the obligation to participate in public life in a democracy. The Eleventh Edition focuses on such vital concepts as democracy, dictatorship, citizenship, voting behavior, elections, leadership, ideologies, war, revolution, world politics, and public policy.
Review
"The organization of the book and chapter themes are unique, and this translates into a unique way to learn and study the material. This different way of covering the necessary topics is a positive. Also, the Magstadt goes much farther than others in its coverage of history, statistics and data."-Shari MacLachlan, Palm Beach State College
Review
"The text is thorough, in a way that many intro to poli sci texts are not. It has good coverage of the many subfields of political science. Lastly, it covers many ideas I have not seen in other texts, such as utopian and totalitarian politics." -Scott Wallace, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
About the Author
Thomas Magstadt earned his doctorate at the Johns Hopkins Schools of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is the author NATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS: COMPARATIVE POLITICS IN REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE, Sixth Edition, (Wadsworth Publishing, 2011), and AN EMPIRE IF YOU CAN KEEP IT: POWER AND PRINCIPLE IN AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY (CQ Press, 2004). He has also published numerous journal articles, policy papers, and op-ed pieces, and is a regular contributor to Nation of Change, an on-line daily newspaper. He has chaired political science departments at Augustana College (Sioux Falls) and the University of Nebraska (Kearney), and has taught at the Thunderbird School, the Air War College, and the University of Missouri--Kansas City. In the 1980s, he served for a time as a foreign intelligence analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. He was a Fulbright Scholar in the Czech Republic from 1994 to 1996. From 2007 to 2010, he lectured on the European Union at the University of Kansas.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: The Study of Politics. 2. The Idea of the Public Good: Ideologies and Isms. PART I: COMPARATIVE POLITICAL SYSTEMS: MODELS AND THEORIES. 3. Utopias: Model States. 4. Constitutional Democracy: Models of Representation. 5. The Authoritarian Model: Myth and Reality. 6. The Totalitarian Model: A False Utopia. PART II: ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING DEMOCRACIES. 7. Parliamentary Democracy. 8. States and Economies in Transition: Between Democracy and Yesterday. 9. Development: Myths and Realities. PART III: POLITICS BY CIVIL MEANS: CITIZENS, LEADERS, AND POLICIES. 10. Political Socialization: The Making of a Citizen. 11. Political Participation: The Limits of Democracy. 12. Political Leadership: The Many Faces of Power. 13. Issues in Public Policy: Politics, Principles, Priorities, and Practices. PART IV: POLITICS BY VIOLENT MEANS: REVOLUTION, WAR, AND TERRORISM. 14. Revolution: In the Name of Justice. 15. War: Politics by Other Means. 16. Terrorism: Weapon of the Weak. PART V: POLITICS WITHOUT GOVERNMENT. 17. World Politics: The Struggle for Power. 18. International Organization(s): Globalization and the Quest for Order. ENDNOTES. GLOSSARY. INDEX.