Session 3- Power as the control of behavior

Politics and power are inextricably linked.  The link between these two can be traced back to the earliest societies known to mankind. It is in man’s nature to progress, and in order to progress he needs power and authority. We know, not only from contemporary societies, but also from prehistoric societies that there exists the phenomenon of ‘survival of the fittest’ which in essence is what it all comes down to in the end. 

If we look at power in terms of a realist perspective, then it takes on a wider meaning.  As realism is all about a state’s survival and being self-sufficient, power and authority play an important role in order to sustain the social and economic status of the state. 

From the Marxist perspective, politics is entirely based on power dynamics where a group of elite, the bourgeoisie, is in power, and exploit the proletariat, the working class. The best example of bourgeoisie taking advantage of proletariats would be during the early eighteenth century when the church dominated the peasantry, and owned ten percent land in the entire kingdom without having to pay the taxes or contribute anything to the state. In layman terms, one can say that this system is where the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Hence, the bourgeoisie would do anything to maintain their power and authority.

Time and time again, we see through various theories that the instrument of power has been used to perpetuate the masses into doing something that was “supposedly” good for them. Power and authority are the main features of societies since prehistoric times. People with power would do anything it takes to maintain it, either implicitly or explicitly in order to conform others to the rules of society, and hence, sustaining their influence and dominance on others.