aristotle’s political theory_ss

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2nd!par(al!!ARISTOTLE’S!POLITICAL!

THEORY!!!!

PURE AND CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS

•  In!the!book!“Poli(cs”,!Aristotle!describes!two!kinds!of!governments:!pure!and!corrupt.!!

PURE! CORRUPT!!uses authority in favor of general interest

uses authority in favor of oneself or specific group

Monarchy! Tyranny!Aristocracy! Oligarchy!Republic!or!Democracy!! Demagoguery!

PURE GOVERNMENTS •  1.J!Monarchy!Jsupreme!authority!in!

the!hands!of!one!•  !A!monarchy!is!a!form!of!

government!in!which!all!poli(cal!power!is!absolutely!or!nominally!lodged!with!an!individual.!!

•  As!a!poli(cal!en(ty,!the!monarch!is!the!head!of!state,!!generally!un(l!their!death.!

•  The!person!who!heads!a!monarchy!is!called!a!monarch.!It!was!a!common!form!of!government!in!the!world!during!ancient!and!medieval!(mes!

2.!Aristocracy!!government!by!the!best!individuals!or!by!a!small!privileged!class=those!believed!to!be!best!qualified!

!•  Aristocracy!is!a!form!of!government!!in!which!a!few!of!the!most!prominent!ci@zens!rule.!The!term!is!derived!from!the!Greek!!aristokra(a,!meaning!"rule!of!the!best".!

3.J!Republic!or!Democracy!!!supreme!power!resides!in!a!body!of!ci@zens!en@tled!to!vote!and!exercised!by!elected!officers!

•  A!republic!is!a!type!of!government!where!the!ci@zens!choose!the!leaders!of!their!country!and!the!people!(or!at!least!a!part!of!its!people)!have!an!impact!on!its!government.!

•  !The!word!"republic"!is!derived!from!the!La@n!phrase!res*publica,!which!can!be!translated!as!"a!public!affair".!

Corrupt!Governments!!

*classical!poli(cs,!!tyrant!(Greek!!turannos)!is!one!who!has!taken!power!by!his!or!her!own!means!as!opposed!to!hereditary!or!cons(tu(onal!power.!In!common!usage,!the!word!"tyrant"!carries!connota(ons!of!a!harsh!and!cruel!ruler!who!places!his!or!her!own!interests!or!the!interests!of!a!small!oligarchy!over!the!best!interests!of!the!general!popula(on,!which!the!tyrant!governs!or!controls.!!

1.J!Tyranny!!abuse!of!power!concentrated!in!the!hands!of!one!

•  2.J!Oligarchy!small!group!that!exercise!control!for!corrupt!and!selfish!purposes!

•  An!oligarchy!is!a!form!of!government!in!which!power!effec@vely!rests!with!a!small!elite!segment!of!society!dis@nguished!by!royalty,!wealth,!family!@es,!military!might,!or!religious!hegemony.!!

•  The!word!oligarchy!is!from!the!Greek!words!“!(olígos),!"a!few"[and!the!verb!(archo),!"to!rule,!to!govern,!to!command".[!

•  !Such!states!are!oNen!controlled!by!poli@cally!powerful!families!whose!children!are!heavily!condi@oned!and!mentored!to!be!heirs!of!the!power!of!the!oligarchy.!

•  !!

•  Demagoguery!!makes!use!of!popular!prejudices!and!false!claims!in!order!to!gain!power.!Gives!false!support!to!poor.!!

•  It!is!a!strategy!for!gaining!poli@cal!power!by!appealing!to!the!

•  prejudices,!emo@ons,!!fears!and!expecta@ons!of!the!public—typically!via!impassioned!rhetoric!and!propaganda,!and!oNen!using!na@onalist,!populist!or!religious!themes.!

Republic!or!Democracy!! Demagoguery!

Monarchy! Tyranny!

Aristocracy! Oligarchy!

Directions: Name and briefly describe 3 differences and 3 similarities on 3 Venn Diagrams Use your own words . Include an image as an example for each. Find a historical example.

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Pure!and!corrupt!governments!according!to!

Aristotle!!HW!1!