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Politics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
£7.10£8.50 (-16%)
In this provocative but balanced essay, Kenneth Minogue discusses the development of politics from the ancient world to the twentieth century. He prompts us to consider why political systems evolve, how politics offers both power and order in our society, whether democracy is always a good thing, and what future politics may have in the twenty-first century.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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Additional information
| Publisher | New Edition (24 Feb. 2000), OUP Oxford |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 128 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0192853880 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0192853882 |
| Dimensions | 17.86 x 11.2 x 0.81 cm |
by Amz
This is truly a very short introduction but very independent for those who are new or in the field.
It’s a relatively small book for easy commute.
by M A Bownas
Very interesting nd helpful
by Amazon Customer
Extremely thin- very little relevance to todays British politics. Not worth £5. Would not recommend.
by George
If you are looking for an introduction to politics then this book is most certainly not suited to you.
As a soon-to-be A-level student I found the following to be white noise, and it is reflective of the rest of the book.
“The modern body politic thus turns out to be not one but a number of bodies. If we add mind, as constructive of psychology, then in state, society, economy, and culture we have the conceptual ground-plan of the social sciences. Each occasion, as a concept, sustains a vast substructure of theory and classification. But our concern is rather with the fact that these self-conscious occasions set the scene for the dramas of modern political conflict. They provide a grid from which many powerful theories of politics can be constructed.”
If you find that to be a coherent paragraph then I wonder why you are looking for a brief introduction.
Irrespective, this is in essence a 111 pages of Mr. Minogue’s favourite history topics: Ancient Greece, Rome and the influence of Christianity on the west.
The title is deceiving, do not buy this product lest you are enthralled by Kenneth Minogue’s historical insights.
by georgepartida
I’m a Politics student and found this book extremely interesting and really good for my studies.
As far as academic texts go it was quite easy to read, however some words did need looking up. Overall it was enjoyable and gave a really good in-depth insight into how Politics developed back in the times of the Ancient Greeks, which is something I have never come across before, right up to modern Politics.
by Mr Vladimir Bezruchenko
This is probably one of the most amazing, challenging and beautifully-written books I have ever read in my life (at least in English). Kenneth Minogue has produced an outstanding page-turner. The book covers the essential history of politics and looks at the ways in which it is experienced, construed, challenged and also threatened in our modern society. It is an excellent introduction that every serious student of Politics must read.
However, I think that first year university students, who have little or no knowledge of politics might find the content of this book a bit tricky and confusingly complicated. It thus seems appropriate to rename it from “A Very Short Introduction” to “A Very Short Review”.
by D. Noble
Unintelligible . Kenneth Minogue just waffles in his own patwa, no idea what he is talking about. You buy this book hoping to get an introduction to politics and it misses. If you are a high level political theologian you may enjoy this essay. Not for me. Not what I was looking for. Unreadable.
by xsandwich
Would have been nice to have a more even-minded, succinct and less pontificating introduction to the subject of politics. This feels a bit ‘halcyon’ for me.