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: Pros and Cons of Perishable Governments.
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: War, Crimes, or War Crimes?
Part V: POLITICS WITHOUT GOVERNMENT.
17. International Relations: The Struggle for World Order.
18. Afterword: The Power of Knowledge.
Endnotes.
Glossary.
Index.

About the Author

Thomas Magstadt 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. From 1994 to 1996 he was a Fulbright Scholar in the Czech Republic, and from 2007 to 2010 he lectured on the European Union at the University of Kansas. Dr. Magstadt is the author of NATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS: COMPARATIVE POLITICS IN REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE, Sixth Edition (Wadsworth Publishing, 2011), AN EMPIRE IF YOU CAN KEEP IT: POWER AND PRINCIPLE IN AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY (CQ Press, 2004) as well as numerous journal articles, policy papers and op-ed pieces. He earned his doctorate at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Reviews

"This book compares very well against other leading introductory textbooks. The chapters are well organized, the writing style is clear and engaging, and the topics are amply illustrated. Its up-to-date information gives it a fresh face and enhances its scholarship, which covers all areas of political science. Overall, it is a great introduction to politics and political science."

"Thomas Magstadt's Understanding Politics compares very favorably with other political science textbooks already on the market. The sheer breadth of chapters covered, the maps and illustrations, the pedagogical notes and insets, the succinct length of the chapters, and the currency of the facts and figures make it a great resource for instructors and students alike."