IGNOU - BA – First Year BPSC131 Introduction to Political Theory

Suggested Answers for Qns of Test 09/08/23

Section I
Answer Check points:
Q.1 Distinguish between Politics and Political science

Politics Political Science

Politics is practical, means the actual Political science is a theory, a subject of study
political activities taking place. .

Politics of one country is different from Political science doesn’t change from one state to
politics of another country. another.

Politics is an art and may not be concerned Political science is a systematic study of state and
with the scientific study of state and government.
government.

Disagreement is a condition of politics. There is a wide agreement on a number of concepts

found in political science

Politics is in every association or group at Political science is not found in every association or
every level and any level. group.

Politics fails to explain the real significance Political science is very broad in its scope and explains
and scope of the discipline. the real significance and scope of discipline.

Q.2 Discuss Legitimation and delegitimation.

Legitimation:
Legitimacy describes the condition of a political system, i.e. the properties and qualities of a polity
and the ways they are seen by the citizens, legitimation refers to the processes that lead to the
creation and the sustainment of legitimacy.
All holders of power e.g the State who hold the dominant authority, try to get those who are subject
to their rule to believe the rightness and justness of power they wield. This attempt at justification
to make the people consent constitutes the process of legitimation.
 There are three types of legitimation – Traditional domination, charismatic domination and legal-
rational legitimation. The first two types are that of personal nature while the last is that of a
procedural type.
Delegitimation:
When the dominating ideas of a system are subject to sustained criticism the process is called
Delegitimation. Any system loses its stability once it ceases to enjoy legitimacy in the eyes of its
subjects. Eg: Overthrowing of fascist and semi-fascist regimes in Italy, Austria

Q.3 Explain the following terms in brief:

A. Political Philosophy
 It provides general answers to questions such as what is justice, concepts of right, the distinction
between ‘is’ and ‘ought’ and the larger issues of politics.
 It is a part of normative political theory
 It attempts to establish inter-relationships between concepts.

B. Political thought
 It is the thought of the whole community that includes the writings and speeches of professional
politicians, political commentators, society reformers and ordinary persons of a community.
 It can be in the form of political treatises, scholarly articles, speeches, government policies and
decisions, and poems and prose that capture the anguish of the people.
 It is time bound; for instance, the history of the twentieth century.
 It includes theories that attempt to explain political behaviour, and values to evaluate it and
methods to control it.
C. Political Ideology
 It is a systematic and all-embracing doctrine, which attempts to a complete and universally
applicable theory of human nature and society.
 John Locke is often described as the father of modern ideologies.
 Marxism is also a classic example of an ideology summed up in the statement that the purpose
of philosophy is to change and not merely interpret the world.
 The twentieth century has seen many ideologies like Fascism, Nazism, Communism and
Liberalism.
 A distinctive trait of political ideology is its dogmatism which discourages critical appraisal
because of its aim to realise the perfect society.
 According to Gamine and Sabine, political ideology is a negation of political theory

Section II
Q.1 Define State and its elements
State is defined as an assemblage of people occupying definite territory under an organised
government and subject to absence of control by any external power.
Every state should have four elements to be considered complete. They are:
Physical elements:
1. Population
2. Territory
Spiritual elements:
3. Government and
4. Sovereignty

1. Population:
 There cannot be a state without population. It is difficult to fix the population of a state.
Aristotle felt that the number of citizens should be neither too large nor too small. It
needs to be large enough to be self-sufficient and small enough to be well-governed.
Size of a state is usually dependent on its area and resources.
 In addition to the population of the country it is necessary to focus on the quality of the
population. Aristotle rightly said that a good citizen makes a good state and a bad citizen
a bad state. A good citizen should have three important qualities – intelligence,
discipline and health.
 Each state differs in quantity and quality of population. Population must be sufficient to
maintain a state organisation and it should not be more than the resources available in
the state.

2. Territory:
 People require actual territory to live in and organise themselves politically into a
state. Territory is needed for making jurisdiction and citizenship of a state. Nomadic
tribes do not form a state.
 Territory of a state includes land, water, and airspace within a defined territorial
area. Generally territory means contiguous landmass but there are exceptions.
Eg: Alaska and Hawaii in the USA are separate from the mainland.
 It is hard to define a fixed area for a state. It is a fact that there should be some
proportion between the population and territory of the state
 It is not just the territory but the natural resources within that territory that leads a
state to progress. A large size is favoured from a defence and strategic point of view.
Size alone does not make a state powerful.
Eg: England, Japan are more powerful states than India which is a large nation.

3. Government:
 A state cannot and does not exist without a government. Government is the
machinery or agency used by the state to express its will and enforce it as well. Only
a portion of the population will be entrusted the work of acting for and on behalf of
the state. The government steers the ship of the state
 Government in the modern times is divided into three organs the legislative, the
executive and the judiciary. In any kind of state the government is required to
perform multiple functions like maintaining law and order, providing justice,
promoting welfare etc
 4. Sovereignty:
 It means supreme power. Without sovereignty there cannot be a state in the legal
sense. The supreme power manifests itself internally and externally. Internally it
indicates the supreme power of the state to control, regulate and punish individuals
within the state. Externally it stands for the freedom of the state from the control of
any other state, this forms the treaties, agreements etc that the state enters
voluntarily.
Sovereignty is comprehensive, exclusive, and permanent supreme power of a state. This power is
not shared with any other association in a state. If a state loses its sovereignty it ceases to be a state.

Q.2 What do you understand by Political Theory?

 Political theory is concerned with the ideas and principles that systematically shape the
constitution, governments, and social life. Certain values and principles, such as democracy,
freedom, and equality, have inspired people and guided policies.
Key aspects of Political Theory include:
 Ideological Analysis: It involves examining different political ideologies such as liberalism,
conservatism, socialism, feminism, etc., and their impact on political systems and society.
 State and Governance: It explores the nature of the state, its legitimacy, and the various
forms of governance, such as democracy, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism.
 Justice and Rights: Political Theory delves into the concept of justice, political equality,
human rights, and social justice, exploring how these principles are applied in different
societies.
 Power and Authority: It studies the dynamics of power relations, the sources of political
authority, and the role of leaders and institutions in the exercise of power.
 Historical Perspectives: Understanding the historical development of political thought,
including the works of influential philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes,
Locke, Rousseau, Marx, and others.
The four ways in which the political theory can be useful to us, are:
 It helps in understanding how constitutions are shaped in a certain manner, how
governments and social lives are arranged in a certain systematic manner by studying and
understanding the ideas and principles that are at their base.
 It shows the significance of various principles such as rule of law, separation of power,
judicial review etc.
 Political theory helps bureaucrats, politicians, government officers and advocates to
interpret the laws and constitution. It also helps in understanding the problems of society
and explore the ways to solve them.

Q.3 What is the Contemporary approach to Political Theory?

 Contemporary political theory made its appearance on the intellectual scene in the 1980s
and 90s, mostly as a reaction against the established traditions in theory
 Opposition to Universalism
 Critique of Grand Narratives
 Empirical and Comparative
 The Emergence of Contemporary Political Theory in Historically Context
 An important feature of empirical theory was its break with history. Contemporary political
theorists believe that political theory must not be disassociated from history.
 Political theory is concerned with conceptual analysis. This involves seeing political theory as
a systematic reflection upon the meaning of the key terms and concepts like sovereignty,
democracy, right, liberty, justice etc.
 Contemporary political theory is concerned with the systematic elaboration of the
underlying structure of our moral and political activities, as well as examination and
reconstruction of the principal political values such as justice, liberty, common good,
community living etc