Unit 2 of Political Science – I (syllabus: Module II — Plato’s ideal State, the philosopher-king and the normative approach; Machiavelli on statecraft; Aristotle’s classification of governments by number and by interest, the three normal and three perverted forms, and the mixed constitution; C. F. Strong’s five criteria of classification; unitary and federal government — definitions, Strong’s two qualities, the four features of a federation, merits and demerits; parliamentary, presidential and collegiate executives compared; and India tested against the four federal features and the five unitary provisions of Arts. 1, 3, 248, 249, 256 and 356). Below: what the unit covers, the provisions it turns on, and the cases an examiner expects you to name.
What this unit covers
- What is Plato's ideal State, and what does the philosopher-king answer?
- What was Machiavelli's contribution to statecraft, and how much of it is accepted?
- How does Aristotle classify governments, and why is democracy a perverted form?
- On what criteria are modern governments classified, and why must the criteria be kept separate?
- What is a unitary government, and how is it distinguished from a federation?
- What is a federal government, and what four features must it have?
- How do parliamentary and presidential government differ, and what does each buy at what price?
- Is India a federal State, and what does calling it quasi-federal mean?
Treat that list as a self-test: recite each topic's rule from memory before you open its cases.