Political system is a system of politics and government or the set of formal legal institutions that make up a government or state. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Before political systems evolved over the years, we had societies that resembled what we consider politics today. A state can be defined as “an organization that successfully claims a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory”. (Weber, in Gerth and Mills 1948, p. 78). Tribal groups that still exist in countries like Papua New Guinea and Brazil still live undisturbed by the government and the purpose is to represent them at the United Nations, in a sense we all evolved from these "tribal groups". One specific way in which these tribal groups differ from the state model of government is Territory. Although many of these tribal groups have their own territories, some are nomadic such as the Fulani of northern Nigeria; they graze their livestock across lands cultivated by others; although today the Nigerian government is making efforts to control herdsmen. Another notable group is the Kalahari Bushmen and what they all have in common is the belief that government is property. Tiv, a tribal group in Nigeria is an example of a group that has existed without centralized government institutions. Disputes and arguments are resolved internally and if a solution cannot be found, the two groups will remain at loggerheads until a solution is found. Other societies practiced a division of duties by "age grade" where older men handle relationships with the gods, another male group responsible for hunting, and older women practice medicine, etc. In these tribal societies, figures translated into English as Chiefs have the greatest authority. The feudal system was particularly practiced in Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries. Feudal Europe compromised between states and mini-states instead of being stateless. An example would be the then called Holy Roman Empire headed by the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the collection or mixture of Kingdoms, duchies, sovereign bishoprics, federated cities and so on. One of the problems with this system was overlapping jurisdiction. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Later in European history, some of the feudal territories evolved into something similar to a modern state and also in many parts of the world like in Nigeria where we have the kingdoms of Benin, Yorubaland and Hausaland. A kingdom can be considered an example of dynastic politics, in the sense that there are not so many governments of individuals as of families. Additionally, we have Empires, a form of government that has dominated much of the globe for millennia. Examples are the ancient empires of China and Rome, the Mughal empire of India, and so on. Even with today's modern political systems, it is difficult to find states with an unambiguous nationality or ethnic background.
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