The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics (19 page)
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Bagehot , Walter
(1826–77)
English journalist; editor of
The Economist
1861–77. Best known for
The English Constitution
(1867), in which he distinguished between the ‘dignified’ and the ‘efficient’ parts of the constitution. The monarchy and other dignified parts of the constitution existed to give popular legitimacy to the inconspicuous cabinet—the ‘buckle’ which fastened the legislature to the executive. Bagehot wished to distinguish the ‘living reality’ of the constitution, in contrast to its ‘paper description’—an aim which has made him an enduring source for political scientists ever since.
English journalist; editor of
The Economist
1861–77. Best known for
The English Constitution
(1867), in which he distinguished between the ‘dignified’ and the ‘efficient’ parts of the constitution. The monarchy and other dignified parts of the constitution existed to give popular legitimacy to the inconspicuous cabinet—the ‘buckle’ which fastened the legislature to the executive. Bagehot wished to distinguish the ‘living reality’ of the constitution, in contrast to its ‘paper description’—an aim which has made him an enduring source for political scientists ever since.
Baker v. Carr
Bakke
(US Supreme Court case)
(US Supreme Court case)
Bakunin , Mikhail
(1814–76)
Russian
anarchist
and revolutionary activist. Representing the
libertarian
wing of the First International (1864–76), he battled with
Marx
over what he regarded as the authoritarian implications of the latter's socialism. Where Marx advocated a centralist revolution based upon the dictatorship of the proletariat, Bakunin wanted a federal arrangement with workers' control and the abolition of the state at the earliest possible moment. Bakunin's revolutionary philosophy was an apocalyptic one with the emphasis upon the destruction of the old order as a prelude to the creation of the new, his most important text being
The State and Anarchism
(1873). He influenced the development of the Russian, Italian, Swiss, and Spanish anarchist movements as well as promoting Polish and Italian nationalism.
He created a number of semi- and totally fantastic revolutionary networks, the most viable being the International Alliance of Social Democracy (founded in 1868) which called for ‘the definitive abolition of classes and the political, economic and social equalization of the two sexes’.
His reputation was damaged by his relationship with Sergei Nechayev whose nihilist creed was expressed in
The Revolutionary Catechism
(1870) and who was later implicated in murder and blackmail (the story was used by Dostoevsky in
The Possessed
). Marx used this as a pretext to effect Bakunin's expulsion from the International and the removal of its Secretariat from Europe to New York where it soon collapsed.
GS
Russian
anarchist
and revolutionary activist. Representing the
libertarian
wing of the First International (1864–76), he battled with
Marx
over what he regarded as the authoritarian implications of the latter's socialism. Where Marx advocated a centralist revolution based upon the dictatorship of the proletariat, Bakunin wanted a federal arrangement with workers' control and the abolition of the state at the earliest possible moment. Bakunin's revolutionary philosophy was an apocalyptic one with the emphasis upon the destruction of the old order as a prelude to the creation of the new, his most important text being
The State and Anarchism
(1873). He influenced the development of the Russian, Italian, Swiss, and Spanish anarchist movements as well as promoting Polish and Italian nationalism.
He created a number of semi- and totally fantastic revolutionary networks, the most viable being the International Alliance of Social Democracy (founded in 1868) which called for ‘the definitive abolition of classes and the political, economic and social equalization of the two sexes’.
His reputation was damaged by his relationship with Sergei Nechayev whose nihilist creed was expressed in
The Revolutionary Catechism
(1870) and who was later implicated in murder and blackmail (the story was used by Dostoevsky in
The Possessed
). Marx used this as a pretext to effect Bakunin's expulsion from the International and the removal of its Secretariat from Europe to New York where it soon collapsed.
GS
balance of power
Probably the oldest concept in the study of
International Relations
going back at least to the work of
Thucydides
. It is closely associated with the
Realist
school of thought. The logic of the idea derives from the anarchic structure of the international system.
Anarchy
is a self-help system under which states are obliged to give priority to security and independence. In pursuing their own independence and security, states will usually join together to oppose any expansionist centre of power that threatens to dominate the system and thus threaten their
sovereignty
or survival. Balance of power behaviour is thus central both to conceptions of the
national interest
and to alliance policy. If successful, it preserves both individual states and the anarchic structure of the system as a whole. Its opposite is ‘bandwagoning’, in which states seek security by joining with the dominant power. Realists conceive of balance of power behaviour as being generated by anarchic structure, and therefore as being an automatic tendency in state behaviour. Where an
international society
exists, balance of power can become a conscious policy shared amongst a group of states, and serving as the principle by which they regulate their relations.
BB
International Relations
going back at least to the work of
Thucydides
. It is closely associated with the
Realist
school of thought. The logic of the idea derives from the anarchic structure of the international system.
Anarchy
is a self-help system under which states are obliged to give priority to security and independence. In pursuing their own independence and security, states will usually join together to oppose any expansionist centre of power that threatens to dominate the system and thus threaten their
sovereignty
or survival. Balance of power behaviour is thus central both to conceptions of the
national interest
and to alliance policy. If successful, it preserves both individual states and the anarchic structure of the system as a whole. Its opposite is ‘bandwagoning’, in which states seek security by joining with the dominant power. Realists conceive of balance of power behaviour as being generated by anarchic structure, and therefore as being an automatic tendency in state behaviour. Where an
international society
exists, balance of power can become a conscious policy shared amongst a group of states, and serving as the principle by which they regulate their relations.
BB
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