The Political Dimension of Europe
Semester 1, Term 2
2015-2016
List of Concepts
*Politics: (blz 168) Politics is in the broadest sense the activity through which
people live under a certain set of rules. Politics is linked through conflict and co-
operation. Politics is the process of resolving conflicts in which rival views and
competing interests are reconciled because “we are not all alike” and “there is never
enough to go round”. Politics also struggles with the concept of power, there is
always a power struggle whether a group of people rule of just one, someone makes
decisions for society. Politics is divided into certain sets of concepts like liberalism,
socialism and conservatism.
*The State: (blz 212) The state is a geographic territory with internationally
recognized boundaries, an identifiable population that lives within these boundaries
and a recognized government. Holland is a state. The state is identified with 5 key
features:
1. Sovereignty: the state has absolute and unrestricted power and stands above
all other associations and groups in society.
2. Civil society: the state is responsible for enforcing collective decisions in
society at the expenses of the public.
3. Legitimation: the state’s decisions are perceived as binding by its people,
because it is claimed to represent the interests of the people.
4. Domination: it possesses the power coercive power to ensure the law is
uphold and aggressors are punished.
5. Territorial association: the state handles within borders, when you speak of
international politics this criteria drops.
*Government: (blz 85) To govern is to rule or exercise control over others. Most
commonly known as leadership that runs the State, mostly on national level. For
example the Dutch “Kabinet”
*Sovereignty: (blz 210) In simplest sense known as complete and unrestricted
power. Distinction is made between political and legal sovereignty. Legal stands for:
unchallengeable right to demand compliance as defined by the law.
Monopoly of legitimate violence: The state is the only one allowed to carry arms
within a state. Therefore they control legitimized violence. For example the police
force in a country is allowed to carry arms but a citizen without a license is not.
Collective goods: A collective good is a good that cannot be withheld from a person
or a group once it is given to them. A collective good is firstly costly to supply, think
of clean air or clean water. Secondly, a collective good cannot be supplied through a
market mechanisms in a social structure.
Unitary vs. federal states: In a unitary government the power is held by one central
authority but in a federal government, the power is divided between national (federal)
government and local (state) governments. Unitary systems have been sharply
curtailed in a number of countries and scrapped together in others. France is a good
, example of a nation-state that has a long tradition of a unitary government in which a
very strong national government dominates local government decisions. The United
States or Germany are good examples of federal states.
Minimal state: A minimal state or night-watchman state is a state which only
provides for its people safety. The only government institutions which do exist in a
minimal state are the police, courts and the military. Also defined as a form of
government where the government's responsibilities are so minimal that they cannot
be reduced much further without becoming a form of anarchy.
Developmental state: strong connection between government and business, but
there is freedom of enterprise.
Social democratic state: Social democracy is known as humanized capitalism, a
balance between state and market. A social democratic state is one who exercises
these ideologies.
Collectivized state: communist state, the government takes care of everything in its
country
*Totalitarianism: (blz 223) is an system of political rule that is typically established
by pervasive ideological manipulation and open terror and brutality. It abolishes ‘the
private’, through politicization everything is controlled.
Strong vs. weak states: Strength. What makes a state strong or weak?
- Size: geographic spread, population. Ex: China versus Monaco
- Strength of the economy: Germany versus Slovenia
- Military might: USA versus Iraq
- Robustness of state institutions: extent to which they can withstand pressure
from society and they can effectively implement decisions. Russia vs. USA
- Legitimacy: “right to rule” - consent to rule on the part of the people. Ex: lack
of legitimacy: communist regimes in EE and USSR
Traditional vs. charismatic vs. rational-legal authority:
- Traditional authority: traditional customs and values (queen Elizabeth)
- Charismatic authority: personality (Hitler, Fidel Castro)
- Rational-legal authority: system of collectively agreed rules (Merkel)
*Legitimacy: (blz 120) broadly means rightfulness, whether an action is right or not
is often claimed upon legitimacy. Legitimacy is for example the right upon which a
court calls (the law being its legitimacy).
*Power: (blz 172) the ability to achieve a desire outcome, to make others do what
they would otherwise not do, for example a teacher has power. A relational concept
often equated with coercion or force.
3 faces of power:
1. Decision making: choosing from a menu
2. Agenda setting: influencing what is on the menu
3. Thought control: shaping what people want or need to be on the menu
Semester 1, Term 2
2015-2016
List of Concepts
*Politics: (blz 168) Politics is in the broadest sense the activity through which
people live under a certain set of rules. Politics is linked through conflict and co-
operation. Politics is the process of resolving conflicts in which rival views and
competing interests are reconciled because “we are not all alike” and “there is never
enough to go round”. Politics also struggles with the concept of power, there is
always a power struggle whether a group of people rule of just one, someone makes
decisions for society. Politics is divided into certain sets of concepts like liberalism,
socialism and conservatism.
*The State: (blz 212) The state is a geographic territory with internationally
recognized boundaries, an identifiable population that lives within these boundaries
and a recognized government. Holland is a state. The state is identified with 5 key
features:
1. Sovereignty: the state has absolute and unrestricted power and stands above
all other associations and groups in society.
2. Civil society: the state is responsible for enforcing collective decisions in
society at the expenses of the public.
3. Legitimation: the state’s decisions are perceived as binding by its people,
because it is claimed to represent the interests of the people.
4. Domination: it possesses the power coercive power to ensure the law is
uphold and aggressors are punished.
5. Territorial association: the state handles within borders, when you speak of
international politics this criteria drops.
*Government: (blz 85) To govern is to rule or exercise control over others. Most
commonly known as leadership that runs the State, mostly on national level. For
example the Dutch “Kabinet”
*Sovereignty: (blz 210) In simplest sense known as complete and unrestricted
power. Distinction is made between political and legal sovereignty. Legal stands for:
unchallengeable right to demand compliance as defined by the law.
Monopoly of legitimate violence: The state is the only one allowed to carry arms
within a state. Therefore they control legitimized violence. For example the police
force in a country is allowed to carry arms but a citizen without a license is not.
Collective goods: A collective good is a good that cannot be withheld from a person
or a group once it is given to them. A collective good is firstly costly to supply, think
of clean air or clean water. Secondly, a collective good cannot be supplied through a
market mechanisms in a social structure.
Unitary vs. federal states: In a unitary government the power is held by one central
authority but in a federal government, the power is divided between national (federal)
government and local (state) governments. Unitary systems have been sharply
curtailed in a number of countries and scrapped together in others. France is a good
, example of a nation-state that has a long tradition of a unitary government in which a
very strong national government dominates local government decisions. The United
States or Germany are good examples of federal states.
Minimal state: A minimal state or night-watchman state is a state which only
provides for its people safety. The only government institutions which do exist in a
minimal state are the police, courts and the military. Also defined as a form of
government where the government's responsibilities are so minimal that they cannot
be reduced much further without becoming a form of anarchy.
Developmental state: strong connection between government and business, but
there is freedom of enterprise.
Social democratic state: Social democracy is known as humanized capitalism, a
balance between state and market. A social democratic state is one who exercises
these ideologies.
Collectivized state: communist state, the government takes care of everything in its
country
*Totalitarianism: (blz 223) is an system of political rule that is typically established
by pervasive ideological manipulation and open terror and brutality. It abolishes ‘the
private’, through politicization everything is controlled.
Strong vs. weak states: Strength. What makes a state strong or weak?
- Size: geographic spread, population. Ex: China versus Monaco
- Strength of the economy: Germany versus Slovenia
- Military might: USA versus Iraq
- Robustness of state institutions: extent to which they can withstand pressure
from society and they can effectively implement decisions. Russia vs. USA
- Legitimacy: “right to rule” - consent to rule on the part of the people. Ex: lack
of legitimacy: communist regimes in EE and USSR
Traditional vs. charismatic vs. rational-legal authority:
- Traditional authority: traditional customs and values (queen Elizabeth)
- Charismatic authority: personality (Hitler, Fidel Castro)
- Rational-legal authority: system of collectively agreed rules (Merkel)
*Legitimacy: (blz 120) broadly means rightfulness, whether an action is right or not
is often claimed upon legitimacy. Legitimacy is for example the right upon which a
court calls (the law being its legitimacy).
*Power: (blz 172) the ability to achieve a desire outcome, to make others do what
they would otherwise not do, for example a teacher has power. A relational concept
often equated with coercion or force.
3 faces of power:
1. Decision making: choosing from a menu
2. Agenda setting: influencing what is on the menu
3. Thought control: shaping what people want or need to be on the menu
