Essays and Research Papers on Political Theory

This 8 page paper explores a variety of theories inclusive of mercantilism, liberalism and Marxism and then goes on to explore trade agreements. NAFTA is used as an example and actual trade statistics are provided in the form of charts and graphs. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

This 10 page paper looks at two works by authors who support totally different points of view. Free to Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman and Michael Parenti's Democracy for the Few are compared and contrasted. Concepts found in the works, such as social security and taxation are discussed in depth. No additional sources cited.

A 7 page paper which discusses what special interests groups are and how they generally prove helpful to the democratic process. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page discussion of the factors which combine to form a dictatorship. Contends that Hitler, Mussolini, and Augustus all had certain characteristics in common. They were able to manipulate people and they were relentless in achieving their goals, regardless of how demented those goals may have been. Concludes that it is ...

This 4 page report discusses John Hospers, a philosophy professor at the University of Southern California and the Libertarian Party’s first presidential candidate (1972). Hospers’ entire philosophy can be easily summed up in one sentence from his Manifesto: “Each human being has the right to live his life as he chooses, compatibly with the equal right of all other human beings ...

7 pages in length. Interpreting, analyzing and criticizing a passage from Karl Marx's "The Portable Karl Marx" leads one directly to the economic and political philosophies espoused by one of the twentieth century's leading thinkers. Most particularly, this passage relates to the elements of capitalism and bourgeoisie status within a society that Marx ...

(7 pp) Rousseau developed the concept of the "noble savage," and to test it, tried living in the woods. Burke believed equality was a conception against nature and served in the English Parliament. One could claim they were both living out their political convictions, yet actually there is a lot more to their ...

A 6 page paper which discusses Adam Smith's view on colonialism as is presented in his book "Wealth of Nations." No additional sources cited.

10 pages in length. The writer discusses democracy, legitimacy and the self as they relate to William E. Connolly's Why I Am Not A Secularist and Jurgen Habermas' The Inclusion of the Other : Studies in Political Theory. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 5 page report discusses the implications of the Declaration of Independence and their far-reaching impact, not only for the United States but for the entire world. It stated the intentions of a people that were both honorable and determined in their ideologies. It formed the theoretical basis for democratic thinking and led to the understanding that personal ...

This 5 page paper looks at the way that different groups of people may use strategic voting and how the effectiveness will vary depending on the circumstances of the vote. It id also argued that instead of being seen as manipulative when used in the higher echelons of the political structure it can be seen ...

This 5 page paper provides an overview of political ideology in general but focuses on one work which is Michael Parenti's Democracy for the Few. The paper supports Parenti's liberalism. Other arguments are presented as well. Shaw's Moral Issues in Business is utilized in making the opposing argument. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

12 pages in length. The changing face of the United States throughout the industrial and post-industrial eras appears to have called into question some of the fundamental assumptions of traditional American liberal ideology. Clearly, one can readily surmise that such ideology has been transformed in response to the social and economic changes that ...

5 pages in length. Geoffrey Garrett's Partisan Politics in the Global Economy and Wallerstein et al's "Post-War Trade Union Organization and Industrial Relations in Twelve Countries" found in Continuity and Change in Contemporary Capitalism simultaneously address the aspect of globalization and social democracy. The primary differences between the two works resides with the ...

6 pages in length. In his book entitled "Capitalism and Freedom," Milton Friedman describes competitive capitalism as a system based on the elementary - yet frequently denied - proposition that both parties to an economic transaction benefit from it, provided the transaction is bi-laterally voluntary and informed. Employing a combination of theoretical or ...

This 5 page report discusses “Discourses on Livy” is on of Niccolo Machiavelli’s lesser-known works. Written in 1531, it argues for an uncorrupted political culture and republican governance. While he is primarily associated with his work “The Prince,” his “Discourses on Livy” actually provide a far more accurate picture of his political philosophy and attitudes. No secondary sources listed. ...

A 5 page paper which examines how the market determines justice and injustice in society, according to Marx and Friedman. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page paper assesses the king's leadership ability in light of Machiavelli's assessment of what leadership should be. The evaluation is positive. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

5 pages in length. A major approach to the study of American public administration concerns the notion of the politics/administrative dichotomy, the key components of which consist of the desire to maintain political and administrative representatives as separate entities. Followed back to a popular 1920-1940 trend in public administration known as scientific management, the politics/administrative ...

An 8 page research paper that discusses the relationship between virtue and pragmatism in American democracy, revealing that while there are some marked similarities between Jeffersonian concepts of social virtue and pragmatism, there are also some marked differences. The writer specifically addresses Yarbrough's work on Jeffersonian virtue and Rorty's perception of pragmatism. Bibliography lists 5 ...

A 10 page overview of three of the most popular political systems in the world. Details the specific format of each utilizing examples from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and other countries to illustrate each system. Illuminates both similarities and differences in these political systems concentrating on the way which officials ...

(10 pp) This November 22 will mark the 35th anniversary of the slaying of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. And as the memories return for some, the cottage industry that endlessly theorizes about the "truth" behind Kennedy's death will continue to do battle against the stodgy "Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone" establishment on a ...

(5 pp) Of the many labels that have been given to Karl Marx is unfortunate that economist is often not one of them. The best-known label of course, along with his friend and collaborator, Friedrich Engels is socialist and the development of the philosophy that led to modern communism. Yet for this ...

This 5 page report discusses international Internet gambling in the context of thinking exercised by a liberal Marxist. The traditional Marxist viewpoint follows the original thinking of Karl Marx that all events in human society are determined by economic forces. Marx’s ultimate goal was to liberate the world from the evil of acquisitive materialism and lead the human race to a ...

This 10 page report discusses the fact that in any discussion or research on the works of Karl Marx, that he had a singular premise, whether it related to politics, economics, or sociology. Marx’s declaration, simplistically reduced, was that all events are determined by economic forces. In terms of his separate political perspective, as much as it could ever be separated ...