Political Culture

The sum total of the people's beliefs, values, viewpoints, devotion and feelings about politics is known as political culture. 

Definitions

According to Almond and Powell: Politcal Culture is then pattern of individual attitudes, orientations towards politics among the members of political system. 

Acording to Dr. SP Verma: Political Culture includes not only the attitudes towards politics, political values, ideologies, national character and cultural ethos but also the style, manner and substantive form of politics.

Characteristics of Political Culture

1. Political culture is a Universal Concept
2. Political Culture is a Comprehensive Concept
3. Every Political System has a distinctive culture
4. Political Culture is a part of general culture
5. Political Culture influences Political System

Components of Political Culture/ Elements of Political Culture

While studying the 'Political Culture', we try to understand the values, beliefs and emotions of the people in the political system. These are of three types:

1. Cognitive Orientation

i.e. the knowledge which the individual possess about the political problem.

2. Effective Orientation 

i.e the amount of devotion and interest of the people towards their political leaders.

3. Evaluation Orientation 

i.e. people would try to understand the extent and the reason for the failure of the political problem.

• Political Values

• Political Beliefs

• Emotional Attitudes

Determinants of Political Culture

The factors which help us to influence the formation of the 'Political Culture' are:

1. Historical Factors
2. Geographical Factors
3. Social Factors
4. Economic Factors
5. Spread of Education
6. Radio and Television 
7. Newspaper and Magazines
8. The ideological basis of the political system
9. Political parties

Importance/ Relevance of the concept of political culture

1. it has made 'political science' as a real 'Social Science'
2. The Study of political science has become practical
3. Widen the scope of political science
4. Political science has become dynamic
5. Measuring rod to judge the progress of the society and political system
6. Helpful in knowing the diversity of the Human Nature
7. Combination of Micro and Macro Study
8. Helpful in bringing progressive Political change
9. Basis of making distinction among political systems

Criticism of the concept of 'Political Culture'

1. Not a correct barometer to know the behaviour of an individual
2. Ambiguous Concept
3. It is not a new concept
4. Difficulty to draw a line between General Culture and 'Political Culture'
5. Subjectivity in the interpretation

Inspite of some of the criticisms, we see that the study of 'Political Culture' has magnified the scope of 'Political Science' tremendously.