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Political Science 

Political science is a branch of the social sciences that studies and analyzes systems of government and political institutions. The study of politics dates back to Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, but the academic discipline that we now call political science emerged as a separate area of study at the end of the nineteenth century. The distinct subfields within the discipline are American government (the study of American institutions and political behavior), comparative politics (the study of political units using systematic comparisons of more than one system, nation-state, or country), international relations (the study of the politics between, and across, nation-states and non-nation-states as they interact on a global stage), and political theory (the study of the foundations of political communities and institutions). Public administration and public policy were at one time considered subfields of political science but they spun off into their own fields of academic study as applied disciplines.

The discipline of political science has seen various paradigm shifts in its evolution. At its start, it was considered political philosophy. The economic basis of politics led to a shift that applied economic interpretation to the study of political science. Beginning in the 1920s, the field went through the Positivist Movement. This culminated in the Behavioral Revolution, which emphasized that although the uniformities in political behavior could be described in generalizations, those generalizations must be testable against political behaviors, such as voting. The Post-Behavioral Revolution arose amid the political rebellions of the 1960s and the new social movements of the 1970s and 1980s. 

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Political Science Resources

Gale provides political science resources that support research with collections from databases, primary source archives, and eBooks.

Databases

Gale databases include collections of published materials from newspapers, journals, and periodical articles, as well as primary source documents and multimedia, such as images, audio, and videos, that support users interested in political research and studies.

Primary Source Archives

Gale Primary Sources contains full-text archives and collections that provide firsthand content, including historical documents, archives, journals and periodicals, news articles, and other publications, and ephemera that examine and analyze political science.

Gale eBooks

Gale eBooks offers collections on a variety of subject areas, including contemporary political affairs like conflicts, foreign policy, and international relations. Users can add Gale eBooks to a customized collection and cross-search to pinpoint relevant content. Workflow tools help users easily share, save, and download content.

  • The Power of Will in International Conflict: How to Think Critically in Complex Environments, 1st Edition

    The Power of Will in International Conflict: How to Think Critically in Complex Environments, 1st Edition

    Praeger   |   2018   |   ISBN-13: 9781440866135

    Will has been, and always will be, the basis for succeeding in any conflict or competition. To win in a conflict or competition, decision-makers must comprehend the meaning and implications of will and successfully transform theories about it into practice. In the twenty-first century, it is especially important for military leaders and security professionals to comprehend will in sufficient depth to enable them to impose their will on other resisting entities and learn how to block or parry their adversaries' efforts to impose their will on them. This book will go a long way in helping decision-makers achieve these goals. Each chapter in this book addresses one of 14 elements that will help readers use will successfully over their adversaries: life-force, purpose, the strength of motive, capabilities, determination, perseverance, sacrifice, passion, advantage, disadvantage, imposition, action, assessment, and adaptation. The book also provides readers with 18 considerations that will serve them well in all types of conflicts. This book will be particularly beneficial to decision-makers in the military, law enforcement, and business, as well as attorneys and judges.

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  • Violent Extremists: Understanding the Domestic and International Terrorist Threat, 1st Edition

    Violent Extremists: Understanding the Domestic and International Terrorist Threat, 1st Edition

    Praeger   |   2019   |   ISBN-13: 9781440859496

    Scholarship, as well as popular discourse on terrorism, often focuses disproportionately on specific groups without paying sufficient attention to the ideology that motivates them. This book emphasizes understanding and countering the ideology that fuels extremism over preoccupation with specific organizations, such as Al Qaeda or ISIS. It sets contemporary terrorist threats in perspective, avoiding fear-mongering and political rhetoric. The book examines the nature of violent extremism today in all its forms, including lone wolves and cyber threats. Focusing on the threats posed by both international and domestic terrorism, it analyzes each in depth as a multidimensional hybrid phenomenon. Each threat exists as an ideology, as distinct groups espousing that ideology, and as a network of followers. By an author who has studied terrorism for more than 30 years and provided extensive media coverage on the subject, the work is a valuable addition to the literature on violent extremism.

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