How does culture affect politics - Essay Example

The shared beliefs and norms usually define people’s expectations and how they should deal with issues once they arise. It affects the way people think and the processes of communication. Culture shapes a person and how he or she views the world. People’s identities are defined by their belief system, and people are satisfied that they belong to a certain community. On the other hand, politics is defined as shared symbol system. It links members of a group to a certain leadership system. Thus, the essay critically discusses how culture affects politics.

Ideally, every country has a political culture which is defined by the shared values, norms and belief systems. The shared beliefs define the relationship between government and the citizens. People are brought together in a nation by heritage and language which defines how people should relate with one another. In a nation, people are held together by ideologies, patriotism and religion. Countries have different type of ideologies such as communism and capitalism. A nation will choose the type of ideology to adapt depending on the beliefs, norms, and values a country uphold (Skocpol 23).

Consequently, culture has a powerful influence on people’s behaviors and thoughts. In the world today, interaction between different nations has resulted to change in people’s culture. People from different parts of the world share their views on different issues hence affecting their belief system. As a result, the political systems have been altered as a result of the change in different cultures. Through the shared ideas and principles, the political systems in most parts of the world have changed (Robert 166).

Subsequently, a political system refers to the learned beliefs about a political system and how they operate wsith certain political boundaries. Political culture affects the way people see their political world and the value they give to it.