Comprehension exercises

I. Reread the text and answer the following questions.

1) Why is a political system a cultural universal? 2) How can you prove that power is at the heart of a political system? 3) What basic sources of power are there within any political system? 4) What differs «force» from «influence» as sources of power? 5) In what connection do sociologists commonly use the term «authority»? 6) What are the basic forms of government in contemporary industrial society? 7) What differs the monarchy from the oligarchy? 8) Why do dictatorships frequently develop into totalitarianism? 9) What are the basic characteristics of a totalitarian state? 10) What does «democracy» mean in a literal sense and in practice? 11) Through what process do members of a society acquire their political attitudes and develop patterns of political behavior? 12) How can you prove that the family, schools and the mediaare the principal institutions of political socialization? 13) How can you characterize the process of involving people in political activities in theory and in practice? 14) What models of power structure do you know? 15) Do they offer an accurate picture of the political life in contemporary society? Why so? 16) What is one common point of both models? Do you agree with this statement?

II. Define the following key terms and memorize the definitions:

political system, politics, power, force, influence, authority, monarchy, oligarchy, totalitarianism, democracy, representative democracy, political socialization, elite model, power elite model, ruling class, pluralist model.

HI. Speak on government and politics in brief and illustrate your reports withexamples and situations of your own.

iV. Discuss the following topics thinking like sociologists.

1) The former Soviet Union: a representative democracy or a totalitarian state? 2) The present organization of the Russian system of power and authority. 3) Political socialization and its agents in the Russian society. 4) The process through which you have acquired your political outlook. 5) The influence of the Russian mass media on the country's political campaigns. Can Russians be considered active or apathetic in their political behavior? Why? 6) The distribution of power in the Russian political system: are there any citizens «more equal» in our country?