Para bellum

Theory, or phrase, justifying military preparations. The best way to preserve peace is to prepare for war since by so doing you make attack on yourself unlikely. Also see: deterrence Source: Graham Evans and Jeffrey Newnham, The Dictionary of World Politics (Hemel Hempstead, 1990) Parabellum commonly refers to the 9×19mm Parabellum firearms cartridge designed by Georg Luger and

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Paternalism

Justification of central or professional power. There will in any state be those who have a better insight into the needs of society than do ordinary people, and this insight should be employed to shape and implement government policy for the mass of the population. Source: David Miller et al., eds, The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought

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Patriarchy (17TH AND 20TH CENTURIES)

Rule or domination by kings, fathers, or men in general. Either the argument that authority is derived by kings and aristocrats from God, whose fatherhood of all they represent on earth; or the view that power is divided along lines of gender and in favor of men. The original theory of patriarchy was employed in the

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Peaceful co-existence (20TH CENTURY)

Optimistic theory of international relations. Extension of liberal ideas on toleration to international society, so that ideological differences do not cause diplomatic or military conflict. Source:Peaceful co-existenceand Jeffrey Newnham, The Dictionary of World Politics (Hemel Hempstead, 1990) Soviet policy Khrushchev solidified the concept in Soviet foreign policy in 1956 at the 20th Congress of the

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Permanent revolution (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of revolution of the Russian revolutionaryLeon Trotsky (1879-1940). Socialist revolution and the overthrow of capitalism will only be complete when they are worldwide. There should therefore be no pause in revolutionary activity simply because power has been seized in a single country. This theory is thus opposed to that of socialism in one country. Source: David Miller et al., eds, The

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Personal is political (20TH CENTURY)

Deliberately paradoxical phrase intended to subvert the limitations of the public private divide. The distinction made by liberals between the public world and the private world is mistaken. It functions, moreover, to sustain the oppression of women since it presents the structured inequalities of the household as the result of free individual choice. Source: Carol

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Pluralism (20TH CENTURY)

Descriptive and prescriptive theory of power in modern societies. Either: since people gain their identity from the groups of which they are members, political power should wherever possible be distributed to functional groups; or: in modern democracies, bargaining between groups contributes as much to policy as does formal democracy. Also see: impacted pluralism Source: David Miller et al., eds,

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Police state

Theory of purposeful government. In popular speech a police state is a despotic, arbitrary and tyrannical one. The technical use of the term is different. A police state is one where the institutions and officials of the state act not in response to public pressures or demands but as the agents of some clear purpose of

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Polis

Theory, originating in ancient Greece, of political community. Life as a citizen in the polis was the highest form of human activity, in which all (adult males) participated, and all were equal. The idea of the polis remains potent for those who see politics as potentially a fulfilling activity in its own right, and

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Political correctness (1980S)

Pejorative term for an overly rigid or token adherence to a liberal canon of beliefs. This novel orthodoxy first surfaced in the USA as lobbyists for disadvantaged minorities began exerting significant political influence; and, consequently, as issues of gender, ethnicity and physical disability were widely promoted as legitimate subjects for sympathetic academic scrutiny. Opponents

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Political culture (20TH CENTURY)

Explanation of the character of politics. A nation or a society is characterized by a political culture, into which its children are inducted, and by learning which they participate and preserve values and institutions. Source: Geoffrey Roberts and Alistair Edwards, A New Dictionary of Political Analysis (London, 1987) Definition María Eugenia Vázquez Semadeni defines

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Political obligation

Theory of the moral requirement to obey law. A moral or normative obligation exists, or can be created, to obey the law or lawfully established authorities. The basis of this obligation is a matter for wide dispute, and ranges from the free consent of the governed to divine law. Source: David Miller et al.,

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Polyarchy (20TH CENTURY)

Theory of politics described by American political scientist Robert Dahl (1915-). In modern democracies the people cannot literally rule in the classic sense of democracy, but if there are free and open democratic procedures, and a variety of groups and organizations, then the many may be said to rule. Polyarchy can be said to exist when democracy

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Populism (19TH CENTURY- )

Attribution of virtue and/or authority to the ‘common people’. ‘Ordinary people’ are possessed of simple qualities and straightforward insights, which distinguish them from politicians and members of other elites, all of whom are characterized as devious and self-seeking. Politics should thus be carried out on behalf of ‘the people’. Source: David Miller et al.,

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Possibilism (19TH CENTURY)

Non-revolutionary revision of ‘purist’ socialism. The argument that immediate gains for the working class by conventional means such as parliamentary politics, tactical voting and trade union negotiation were not a compromise with the existing order, but a preferable alternative to maintaining political purity and consequent political ineffectiveness. A term originally applied within the late 19th

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Post-materialism (20TH CENTURY)

A theory of the eclipse of material values. In the second half of the 20th century, particularly amongst the young, the search for material utility which had underlain both capitalist and communist analyses was replaced by a priority to non-material values: quality of life, culture, the preservation of the environment. The theory has been

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Power

Theory of individuals’ and groups’ ability to achieve their ends. In social relations, power is exercised by persons or institutions acting in such a way that their interestsor wishes prevail over those of others. They are thus responsible for the consequences. There is dispute, however, over the extent to which they need to be aware

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Power corrupts (19TH CENTURY)

Theory, or at least aphorism, of the English historian Lord Acton (1834-1902). ‘All power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely’. The sentence expresses a fundamental suspicion of the ability of any person to be trusted with unaccountable discretion, however noble their expressed motives. Proverb power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely The corrupting influence of power is total when one’s power is total. Lord Acton see: Wikiquote

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Prisoner’s dilemma (20th century)

Instance within game theory. Two prisoners given the chance of reduced sentences if they incriminate each other – even though with no confessions at all they might not be convicted – will hedge their bets whereas solidarity would have been in their best interests. Basing their behavior on a calculation that others will not act as

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Progress

Optimistic theory of history. Human societies move towards higher and higher forms of culture or organization. There is much disagreement as to the character of this improvement, as there is also much skepticismabout it. Source: David Miller et al., eds, The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought (Oxford, 1987) Measuring progress Specific indicators for measuring progress

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