Politics Facts for Kids

Politics is how groups of people make decisions together. It's all about finding ways for people to agree so they can live well in groups like tribes, cities, or whole countries. In big groups, like a country, some people spend a lot of time making these agreements. These people are called politicians. Politicians, and sometimes others, work together to form a government. Studying politics at universities is called political science.

In everyday life, "politics" often means how countries are run and how governments create rules and laws. But you can also see politics in other groups, like in companies, clubs, schools, and even churches.

What Governments Do
Political Parties
History of Political Ideas
Politics Between Countries
Related Topics
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What Governments Do

A government helps lead a whole group of people. Governments do many important things, such as:

Deciding who gets to use different pieces of land.
Deciding who has the authority to tell others what to do.
Choosing whether to go to war with another country.
Creating money for everyone to use.
Building things for the whole group, like roads, hospitals, libraries, and docks.
Providing education for people.
Taking care of the very young, the sick, or the very old.
Managing the country's welfare and how money is spent on services like hospitals and schools.

One main way a government leads is by making laws and rules. These laws tell everyone what they can and cannot do. Governments make laws to help society be safe and organized. For example, a law saying "you must not drink alcohol while driving" helps stop drunk driving, which can save lives. A law saying "you must wear a helmet on a motorcycle" helps protect riders.

Governments can also guide people and events in a country in other ways:

How a government spends its money makes a big difference. If a government spends a lot on hospitals and nurses, people will likely become healthier.
If people like their government or trust its decisions, they might do something just because the government suggests it. Governments often use posters or TV ads to encourage people to stop smoking or eat more fruits and vegetables.

Politics is often connected to ethics, which are ideas about right and wrong. Ethics helps people agree on basic principles. Without some agreement on what is right or fair, it would be hard to have a debate, create laws, or hold an election.

Political Parties

In most countries, people form political parties to share their ideas. People within a party might not agree on everything, but they work together. They do this because they share enough common goals. They also know they will have more power if they join forces. Parties agree on many issues and support the same changes to laws and the same leaders. An election is usually a competition between different parties. Some examples of parties are the Liberal party, the Labor party, and the Greens.

History of Political Ideas

Many thinkers throughout history have written about politics:

The Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that humans are naturally "political animals." He thought ethics and politics were closely connected.
Niccolò Machiavelli, in his 1532 book The Prince, wrote that politics is mainly about gaining and keeping power. He felt that a leader could do nothing without power.
In 1651, Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan. Hobbes suggested that people in groups often give up some of their personal rights. They do this in exchange for protection from a government.
In the 1800s, John Stuart Mill developed the "liberal" idea of politics. Mill believed that democracy was a very important step forward. He argued that individual rights should be protected more strongly against the government.

Politics Between Countries

Countries also have disagreements with each other. When countries try to solve these problems through meetings, it's called diplomacy. This is politics between different nations, not within one nation. If problems are not solved through diplomatic meetings, they can sometimes lead to war or terrorism.