Aimed toward upper level readers, Political and Economic Systems seamlessly blends the history, theory, and practice of the most significant political and economic systems from antiquity through modern times in engaging and all-encompassing guides. Each section thoroughly addresses the philosophical origins and implementations of major political systems, the key stages of their development in a variety of governments, and an assessment of their contemporary prevalence in the global political arena.

Table of Contents

• Socialism and Communism
• Introduction
• Socialism
• Communism
• Communism in the Soviet Union
• Communism in the Eastern Bloc
• Communism in China
• Communism in Southeast Asia
• Communism in Latin America
• Feudalism, Monarchies, and Nobility
• Introduction
• A Feudalism Overview
• The Nature of Monarchies
• Nobility and the Ruling Class
• The Rise and Decline of Feudalism in Western Europe
• Feudal Societies of Asia
• Class Distinction and Land Rights in the Ottoman Empire
• Interpreting Feudal Concepts
• Dictatorship, Fascism, and Totalitarianism
• Introduction
• Dictatorship
• Common Characteristics of Fascist Movements
• Origins of Fascism
• Neofascism Around the World
• Totalitarianism
• Anarchism, Revolution, and Terrorism
• Introduction
• Anarchism
• Revolution
• Terrorism
• Democracy
• Introduction
• Determining Democracy
• Democratic Beginnings in Classical Greece
• Rome’s Republic
• The Theory of Democracy
• Toward Representative Democracy: Europe to the 19th Century
• 19th-Century Developments in the United States
• Old Questions but Fresh Answers
• Election
• Two-Party System
• The Spread of Democracy in the 20th Century and Beyond
• 20th-Century Theories of Democracy
• Aristotle’s “Ideal Democracy”
• Democracy’s Problems and Challenges
• Capitalism
• Introduction
• What Is Capitalism?
• Elements and Characteristics of Free Markets
• Business and Market Cycles
• Types of Market Economies
• Perspectives on Capitalism
• Defense and Criticisms of Capitalism
• Bands, Tribes, & First Peoples and Nations
• Introduction
• Nonurban Cultures and Kinship-Based Institutions
• Theories of Kinship: Descent and Alliance
• Cultural Anthropology and Descriptive Systems of Kinship
• Assimilation Versus Sovereignty: American Indians and the First Peoples of Canada
• The Indigenous Peoples of Central and South America
• Aboriginal Australians
• Tribal Politics in Sub-Saharan Africa
• The Middle East and North Africa
• Nomads of the Eurasian Steppe
• Glossary
• Bibliography