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In Defense of Politics

Front Cover
3 Reviews
University of Chicago Press, Oct 25, 1993 - Political Science - 272 pages
In this illuminating celebration of the political world, Bernard Crick asserts that politics, with
its compromises and power struggles, remains the only tested alternative to government by
coercion, making both freedom and order possible in heterogeneous societies. For Crick,
politics is messy and complex, and his book defends it against those who would identify it with (and reduce it to) ideology, democracy, nationalism, or technology.

This Fourth edition has been updated to include an assessment of the revolutions in 1989 in
Eastern Europe. It also examines current situations in Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine,
and South Africa.

“A short book written with verve and brilliance. . . . He has written an exceedingly clever and
disturbing book on important issues, all that he writes is alive and much of what he says, even when it seems perversely provocative, turns out to be penetrating and serious.”
—Isaiah Berlin, 20th Century

“One of the most thoughtful products of the political dialogues of the London School of
Economics since the great days of Tawney, Dalton, Wallas and Hobhouse. Its sobriety,
liberal spirit and toughness of mind are rare qualities in any political work.”
—Edward Shils, Guardian
  

What people are saying - Write a review

Review: In Defense of Politics

User Review  - Jussarian - Goodreads

I love this book and return to it often. Starting with some clear distinctions about what is politics and what is a sordid struggle for power, it makes a complex argument for doing politics as the ... Read full review

Review: In Defense of Politics

User Review  - Andrew - Goodreads

Crick's famous work on why politics are important. Not a bad read, but I probably wouldn't have read it if it wasn't assigned for a political science class in college. Read full review

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Selected pages

Contents

Preface to the Fourth American Edition
7
A Defence of Politics Against Ideology
34
A Defence of Politics Against Democracy
56
A Defence of Politics Against Nationalism
74
A Defence of Politics Against Technology
92
A Defence of Politics Against False Friends
111
In Praise of Politics
140
Who Grudge the Price
242
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

action activity actual American anti-political argued argument Aristotle attempt autocracy become believe Bernard Crick British circumstances civil claim common Communist compromise conciliation conservatism conservative constitutional cracy create culture democracy democratic depends economic empiricism equality ethical everything exist fact fraternity free politics freedom groups Harold Laski human idea ideal ideology individual institutions interests Ireland Labour Labour Party leaders least liberal liberty Machiavelli Marx Marxist mass means ment Michael Oakeshott mixed economies modern moral Nazi normal Northern Ireland oppression Origins of Totalitarianism party perhaps polis political doctrine political regimes political rule political system political theory politicians possible praise principle problem production purely R. H. Tawney racialism revolution rhetoric scientific scientism sense simply social socialist society sovereignty survival things thought tion totalitarian regimes tradition true truth unity values violence W. G. Runciman

References to this book

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References from web pages

JSTOR: In Defence of Politics.
In Defence of Politics. By BERNARD CRICK. (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 1962. Pp. 156. Price 21s). It may be unfair to Mr. Crick to review this lively, ...
links.jstor.org/ sici?sici=0031-8094(196410)14%3A57%3C380%3AIDOP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V

In Defence of Politics by Mr. Bob Rae
Speech made at St. Francis Xavier University on April 17, 1997
www.stfx.ca/ academic/ political-science/ Allan%20J.%20MacEachen%20Lecture%20Series/ Rae.html

Encounter 2005 - Bernard Crick
In Defence of Politics: Revisited ... and engage with politics today, the 2005 CSD Encounter with Sir Bernard Crick considers In Defence of Politics. ...
www.wmin.ac.uk/ sshl/ page-1825

Doug Munro - In Defence of History (review) - Journal of Social ...
In Defence of History was first published in September 1997 and, like Bernard Crick's In Defence of Politics (1962), it took off. ...
muse.jhu.edu/ journals/ journal_of_social_history/ v036/ 36.1munro.html

In Defence of Politics - pricegrabber.com
Lowest prices on magazine subscriptions and best selling books like Harry Potter. Find the best deals on books and magazines with pricegrabber.com
www.pricegrabber.com/ search_books2.php/ book_id=10178315

Times Higher Education - Gem avoids ravage of time
In Defence of Politics has had a good innings. Warmly championed on initial ... In Defence of Politics. -. Author - Bernard Crick ISBN - 0 8264 5065 2 ...
www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/ story.asp?storyCode=166944& sectioncode=5

Bernard Crick - The Debate - State Building - ESI
In Defence of Politics has been in print ever since, and remains one of the most widely-read and influential discussions of democratic politics in English. ...
www.esiweb.org/ index.php?lang=en& id=73

Bernard Crick - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The "political virtues" were an important feature of Crick's classic book, In Defence of Politics; he saw them as an alternative to "ideology" or any ...
en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Bernard_Crick

fabians.org.uk : Publications / Ideas Pamphlet / Must Politics ...
Forty years since Bernard Crick wrote his classic In Defence of Politics, Meg Russell takes on the challenge of defending politics for the twenty-first ...
fabians.org.uk/ publications/ ideas/ russell-politics-05/

Comment is free: Bernard Crick Profile
His books include the widely translated In Defence of Politics (in print for over 40 ... In Defence of Politics (Continuum). George Orwell: a Life (Penguin) ...
commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ bernard_crick/ profile.html

About the author (1993)

Bernard Crick is emeritus professor of politics at Birkbeck College, London, and honorary
fellow of Edinburgh University. Among his publications are George Orwell: A Life.

Bibliographic information

QR code for In Defense of Politics
TitleIn Defense of Politics
AuthorBernard Crick
Edition4
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press, 1993
ISBN0226120678, 9780226120676
Length272 pages
Subjects › 

Political Science / General
  
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