Session 8: Political Culture and Governments

Although democracy is a widely prevalent system of government it is not practised everywhere in the world. Other popular forms of government are Communism, Monarchies and the Islamic Shariat to name a few. The field of politics is constantly being evolved because of people’s beliefs, their ideas and even the traditions that they hold sacred therefore, Political Culture develops differently is different communities.

Perceptions alone can change how political systems are viewed. As the author argues perceptions correspond to reality which makes it all the more important to analyse how people’s preferences and expectations about governments vary.

If we try viewing the world with a lens of simplicity, we may assume that if a certain type of government has been in place in a particular region for a considerably long time then, the majority of those people are likely to be satisfied with the manner in which they are being ruled. This means that the underlying Political Culture is translated into the form of government in place. Not everyone values subjective terms such as freedom and liberty.

For instance, people living under monarchies value their traditions, they have great respect for the house in power and they are obedient subjects of their rulers. An example of this can be the dissolution of monarchy in Germany by Napoleon which historically much of the population was unhappy with. Similarly, those living in Islamic regimes believe that following God and the last Prophet (PBUH) is one of their biggest duties. As long as they get that, they are satisfied. Even the more localised patriarchal systems can be viewed in this manner.