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Definitions/Explanations of Politics
Generally speaking, it is difficult to define politics
because there are many definitions by various scholars that conflict or
sometimes complement one another. Ernest Baker (1962:1) stated that politics is
the process of making and execution of governmental decisions or policies.
Harold Lesswell and Abraham Kaplan (1950) defined politics as authoritative,
allocation of values or who gets what, when and how. Austine Ranany (1975:
35-38) maintained that politics is a process of resolution of conflict in society.
For Max Weber, (1947:145-154) politics is the operation of the state and its
institutions. Politics for him, means the sharing power to influence the
distribution of power among individuals and groups within a state.
Lasswell suggests that politics is essentially the struggle
for positions of power and influence by which those who succeed in monopolizing
such positions in society are able to make decisions that affect the lives of
every citizen within the country. More will be said about power later when we
examine it as a topic on its own. For our purpose, politics can simply be
defined in three ways: First, it attempts to discover the general principles,
formation and functioning of government. Secondly, it is concerned with people
and the way in which they make decisions and the way those decisions are
reached. Thirdly 118 politics is that part of the social sciences which treats
the foundations of the state and the principle of government, governmental,
social and economic programmes, international relations, organizations and
cooperation. Politics goes beyond the activity of government, the political
parties and the politicians.
Politics is a universal phenomenon- that is, it is present
in all human organization such as the family, trade unions, corporations,
universities, etc. In all these organizations, politics is characterized by
struggle for power and influence, conflict, bargaining, reconciliation,
resolution and consensus. Politics can be played at a national level or
internationally. At the national level, the failure of the Nigerian political
elite between 1962-66 gave the military the opportunity to intervene in our
political process. History repeated itself in 1983 when the political elite
again failed to settle their differences following the 1983 October general
elections. Again, the military employing their monopoly over the use of force
and the acquiescence of the Nigerian people swept the political elite off the
political stage and ruled until 1999. Similarly, it was politics at the international
level when the Palestinian and the Israelites partly resolved their age-long
military/ideological confrontation over Palestinian home land in Gaza. Also it
was a political action/decision when ECOMOG troops were sent by West African
States to war-torn Liberia for peace-keeping operations. This helped to stop
the fighting from getting worse. Peace has now returned to Liberia after 15
years of fighting.
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