Political science as a science explores the political life of society, the stages of development of political thought, the history of the formation of political doctrines, political systems, relationships and processes, world political processes, political culture and consciousness.
Political science as a science studies the relationship of politics with human life and society. Politics affects the daily lives of people as a whole and the fate of individuals.
Political science as a science went through three stages in its formation.
The first period began in ancient times and continued until modern times. For the first time, knowledge of politics began to be analyzed and summarized by Plato, Aristotle in Ancient Greece. Philosophers defined politics as the state and public administration of Polis. In the countries of the East , citizen participation in politics was limited, therefore, special works on government were not created there.
Because of this situation, two points of view appeared on the place of the individual in political relations. According to the first, citizens should take part in the life of the state and control the bureaucracy. This is the approach of Western countries. According to the second point of view, an ordinary person should not seek to participate in political life. This is the prerogative of professionals. This approach is typical for the countries of the East. There it was believed that in this state of affairs, politicians would not go on about the people.
Currently, the interpretation of politics is somewhat different. It is defined as activities to manage the state, as well as the relationship between people and government. Politics is also called the art of conquering the masses with the ability to convince.
The second period of the formation of the science of politics covers New time and lasts until the middle of the XIX century. Of great importance for the formation of political science thought were the works of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Russo. During this period, the most important knowledge and ideas about politics, power and the state are formed. A milestone of scientific thought was the work of N. Machiavelli “The Sovereign,” in which he raised the question of the relationship between morality and politics. In his opinion, politics should be out of morality (“the end justifies the means”).
The third period in the development of scientific knowledge of politics began in the late 19th century. Thus began modern political science. At this time, political science stood out as an independent science. Citizen participation in the political life of Europe has increased significantly with the introduction of elections. There was a need to manage new processes.
In 1857, the first school of political science arose at Columbia University in America. In 1949, at the initiative of UNESCO, an international association of political sciences was established.
At this time, the subject, object, scientific tasks of political science are formulated. In most countries, this scientific discipline has been added to the list of subjects for study in higher education.
Political science as a science is connected with many other sciences and academic disciplines: philosophy, jurisprudence, sociology, economics, ethnography, history, psychology, geography, etc.
Political science is developing in two directions - as theoretical knowledge and as an applied science, focused on achieving practically significant results. In this regard, the methods used by political science are also divided into theoretical and applied. Their list is very extensive: general logical methods (analysis, induction, modeling, etc.), systemic method, behaviorist method, sociological method, etc.
For example, comparative political science, being one of the areas of political science, uses the comparison method as the main method. She is engaged in the study of politics, comparing and comparing similar events that occur in different areas of political life (political parties, processes, relations, institutions, regimes, political culture, etc.)
The subjects of politics are the state, social groups (classes, strata), political organizations (parties, trade unions), and the political elite.