Understanding Politics

The Tenth Edition features an effective, foundation-building approach to the study of politics and government by identifying then describing and explaining political phenomena (such as war and terrorism) to grab students' attention.
Magstadt's emphasis on the common threads among major political ideas, issues, and institutions helps students make sense of the political and economic world.
Shorter in length, UNDERSTANDING POLITICS has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the ever-changing global political landscape in a more condensed, streamlined, yet comprehensive presentation.
New box features such as: "Ideas and Politics," "Maps that Matter," and "Landmarks in History" give students the background information to help conceptualization.
Chapter content updates include: China surpassing Japan as the world's largest economy, the Russian rivalry between Mikhail Khordorkovsky and Vladirimir Putin, and the changes globalization has brought to countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. "Politics is a gateway to a broader and better understanding of human nature, society, and the world." This idea has inspired each edition of UNDERSTANDING POLITICS: IDEAS, INSTITUTIONS, AND ISSUES. Thomas Magstadt's book gives due attention to contemporary political issues and calls attention to the more enduring underlying questions. With its strong, engaging "politics are pertinent More »