Politics for Beginners

What is politics? Who's in charge? What is a government? Chapter 1: All kinds of governments How societies have run themselves from Ancient Athens and Rome, to China, Europe and the Birth of the United States pf America Chapter 2: Political systems How does democracy actually work? How do countries get things done? And what about the alternatives - dictatorship, communism and even total anarchy? Chapter 3: Elections and voting Who can vote? Who can't? And is there a way to count all the votes up that's fair to everyone? Chapter 4: Political change How can people influence their governments in between elections - or in countries where elections don't happen at all? Chapter 5: Political ideologies What are the big ideas that politicians use to decide how to run a country? What's the difference between 'left' and 'right' in politics, and why does it matter? How can work out where YO are on the political spectrum? Chapter 6: Big questions Sometimes what matters most isn't who is in charge, or what they stand for, but what they're actually going to do to fix the world's problems... Is there such a thing as 'human rights'? Can war ever be justified? Why are some countries poor? What is terrorism? What is prison for? What is freedom of speech? How does the media affect politics? What is immigration? Am I a feminist? Who's responsible for the planet? Is corruption inevitable? How to argue Learn to debate What next? Glossary Index Acknowledgements