The Study of Politics
If the study of politics is to be rewarding both intellectually and practically it must. by definition. concern itself with the great issues which arise in the real world and with the fundamental arguments which occur about their nature and the possible s
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POLITICS
THE STUDY OF
POLITICS
MAURICE DUVERGER Translated by Robert Wagoner MARITIME COLLEGE OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
NELSON
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THIS WORK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE Sociologie Politique 3d ed. (PARIS: PRESSES UNIVERSITAIRES DE FRANCE, 1968) COPYRIGHT © 1966 BY PRESSES UNIVERSITAIRES DE FRANCE
First published in Great Britain 1972 Reprinted 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 Copyright © 1972 by Thomas Y. Crowell Company, Inc. Reprint of the original edition 1972 All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Designed by Barbara Kohn Isaac ISBN-13:978-0-442-30698-4 e-ISBN-13 :978-94-009-3171-8 DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-3171-8 NCN 5592 40 6
Foreword
If the study of politics is to be rewarding both intellectually and practically it must. by definition. concern itself with the great issues which arise in the real world and with the fundamental arguments which occur about their nature and the possible solutions to them. Abstract political philosophy which is not informed by the experience of practice will become sterile. A study of constitutions and the machinery of government can become dry-as-dust and hence boring unless the underlying principles are analysed and grasped. But theories of political change divorced from an understanding of constitutions and institutions will degenerate into mere phrase-mongering. Attempts to apply the techniques of the natural sciences to politics will lead to model building for its own sake and thence to arid and barren intellectualism unless it is understood that it is impossible to quantify the intangible. Indeed. anyone-sided approach to politics and consequent failure to grasp the essential wholeness of the subject is bound to end in disaster. The study of politics is a study of changing human relationships in dynamic societies. Thus it involves. since the present and hence the future are shaped in part by the past. an appreciation of history. Conflict of interest over the use of relatively scarce economic resources is central to the subject. A failure to understand the role of technological change and innovation entails the neglect of a vital facet of the process. Above all. since it is ideas that lead to action. it is the dev
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FOREWORD
velopment of conflicting theories about men in society that is central to the subject. It is the great virtue of Duverger's boo
