View source for Politics

'''Politics''' (from Ancient Greek πολιτικά (politiká) 'affairs of the cities') is the way that people living in groups make planned decisions. 
Politics is about making agreements between people so that they can live together in groups such as [[tribe]]s, [[city|cities]], or [[country|countries]]. In large groups, such as countries, some people may spend a lot of their time making such agreements. These people are called [[politician]]s. Politicians, and sometimes other people, may get together to form a [[government]]. The study of politics in universities is called [[political science]], public affairs, government, political studies, or [[public administration]].

In everyday life, the term "politics" refers to the way that countries are governed, and to the ways that governments make rules and laws to manage the human society properly. Politics can also be seen in other groups, such as in companies, clubs, schools, and churches.

== Government ==
The government <!--makes decisions for--> tries to lead the whole group. Governments do things such as:
* Decide which people get which pieces of [[land]]
* Decide which people can tell other people what to do
* Decide whether to go to [[war]] with another country
* Create [[money]]
* Build things for the use of the whole group, such as [[road]]s, [[hospital]]s, [[library|libraries]], and [[dock]]s.
* [[education|Educate]] people, either for their own good, or to teach them what the government wants them to know
* Take care of the very young, the sick, or the very [[old]]
* Manage the [[welfare]] of the country and manages the money available for spending on services ([[Hospital]]s, [[School]]s, etc.)

One of the ways the government leads the group is by making [[law]]s and rules which tell everybody what they can and can not do. The government makes these laws so that society will be safe and well-ordered. The law that says "you must not drive a car when you have been drinking alcohol" stops people from [[drunk driving]], which could kill people. The law that says "you must wear a helmet on a motorcycle" makes sure that people protect themselves when riding their motorcycles. 

The government can also control people and what happens in a country in other ways besides making laws.
* For example, how the government spends its money makes a big difference in what people will do or what will happen to people. If the government spends a lot of money on hospitals and nurses, the people will probably become healthier.
* Also, if people like their government, or think that their government is wise, they may do something just because their government says it is a good thing to do. Governments often make posters or television advertisements that encourage people to stop smoking cigarettes or eat more fruits and vegetables.

Politics is often compared to [[ethics]] (ideas about right and wrong). Ethics is a more [[abstract]] study of right and wrong. Ethics is usually more concerned with [[principle]] than law or politics or diplomacy, so many people think ethics is not practical. But without some [[agreement]] on ethics, there is probably no way to even have a [[debate]], [[law]]s or an [[election]]. There is always some agreement on ethics and personal conduct in a political system.

== Political parties ==
In most countries, people have formed [[political parties]] to put forward their ideas. There is usually some disagreement between people within a party, but they work together because they feel that they agree on enough things, and they will have more power if they join together. They agree to take the same [[position]] on many [[Issue (debate)|issues]], and agree to support the same changes to [[law]] and the same [[leader]]s. An election is usually a competition between different parties. Some examples of parties are the Liberal party, the Labor party and the Greens.

== History ==
The Greek philosopher [[Aristotle]] wrote that humans are a political animal and that [[ethics]] and politics are closely linked.
	
[[Niccolò Machiavelli]] wrote, in his 1532 book, [[The Prince]], that politics was firstly about having and keeping [[Influence|power]]. He said that without power, a leader could do nothing.

In 1651, [[Thomas Hobbes]] wrote ''[[Leviathan (book)|Leviathan]]'', a book about politics. Hobbes wrote that people living in groups often give up some of their rights in exchange for some protections from a government. This is the basis of the [[social contract]] theory.
	
In the 1800s, [[John Stuart Mill]] developed the "liberal" idea of politics. Mill said that democracy is the most important political development of the 1800s. He said that there should be more protection for individual rights against the government. 

Bernard Crick wrote a list of the [[political virtues]], which were about best practices of politics itself.

== International politics ==
There are also disagreements between different countries. Attempts to solve the problem with meetings are called [[diplomacy]]. This is politics between [[nation]]s instead of politics within nations. If the problems are not resolved by diplomatic meetings they can lead to [[war]] or [[terrorism]].

== Related pages ==
* [[Constitution]]
* [[Geopolitics]]
* [[Horseshoe Theory]]
* [[Fishhook Theory]]
* [[Identity politics]]
* [[Political polarization]]
* [[Political economy]] 
* [[Political philosophy]]

== Other websites ==
{{commonscat}}
* [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Politics Politics] -Citizendium

{{Politics and government|state = expanded}}
{{Outline footer}}
{{Lists of years in topics}}

[[Category:Politics| ]]