Politics is the set of activities associated with making decisions in groups or managing power relations among individuals, often involving the distribution of status or resources. It encompasses the processes by which people living in groups—such as tribes, cities, or countries—make planned decisions to organize society and govern themselves
. Politics can be understood in several ways:
- As the art or science of government, involving creating laws, policies, and decisions for society's welfare, typically carried out by politicians and government officials
- As a process of conflict resolution where differing interests within a community or state are negotiated and conciliated to maintain order and share power proportionally
- As a competitive struggle between individuals or groups to assert rival interests and mobilize support to implement their programs or policies
- As the interaction among individuals, groups, or institutions to make collective decisions that affect them, ranging from family decisions to international relations
Politics is practiced at many levels, from small social groups to sovereign states and international bodies. It often involves political parties, elections, negotiation, and sometimes the use of force or coercion. While it can have positive connotations, such as peaceful compromise, politics also frequently involves conflict due to differing opinions and interests
. In summary, politics is fundamentally about how people organize themselves to govern, make collective decisions, allocate resources, and resolve conflicts within any group or society.