History of political science
Political science is the subject that helps us understand how governments work and how they make decisions that affect our lives. To know about the history of political science, we need to go back a long time ago when humans started living in groups and needed someone to lead them.
Once people formed larger groups, they needed laws to regulate their life, and this gave birth to the first governments. The ancient Greeks, who lived about 2500 years ago, were the first to think critically about the government's role and its relationship with people. They coined the term "polis," which means a city-state, and this word led to the concept of politics.
Later, during the medieval period, the idea of a monarchy was prevalent, where one person (king or queen) ruled the kingdom. However, with the growing power of monarchs, people started to advocate for more democratic and representative forms of governance. It led to the emergence of political theorists like Aristotle, Machiavelli, and Thomas Hobbes, who explored the concept of government and its role in society.
The 18th century saw the rise of enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu, who wrote about the social contract theory, sovereignty, and separation of powers, respectively. They gave impetus to the development of political science as the study of government, institutions, and political behavior.
In the 19th century, political science emerged as a distinct academic discipline, with universities offering courses and departments dedicated to the subject. Political scientists started to explore comparative politics, international relations, and political economy, among other subfields.
Today, political science remains a vital subject, which helps us understand how our governments work and how public policies affect us. Political scientists use various theories, methods, and quantitative techniques to study political systems and their actors.
Once people formed larger groups, they needed laws to regulate their life, and this gave birth to the first governments. The ancient Greeks, who lived about 2500 years ago, were the first to think critically about the government's role and its relationship with people. They coined the term "polis," which means a city-state, and this word led to the concept of politics.
Later, during the medieval period, the idea of a monarchy was prevalent, where one person (king or queen) ruled the kingdom. However, with the growing power of monarchs, people started to advocate for more democratic and representative forms of governance. It led to the emergence of political theorists like Aristotle, Machiavelli, and Thomas Hobbes, who explored the concept of government and its role in society.
The 18th century saw the rise of enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu, who wrote about the social contract theory, sovereignty, and separation of powers, respectively. They gave impetus to the development of political science as the study of government, institutions, and political behavior.
In the 19th century, political science emerged as a distinct academic discipline, with universities offering courses and departments dedicated to the subject. Political scientists started to explore comparative politics, international relations, and political economy, among other subfields.
Today, political science remains a vital subject, which helps us understand how our governments work and how public policies affect us. Political scientists use various theories, methods, and quantitative techniques to study political systems and their actors.
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