Effects Of Political Culture On The Political System

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Introduction
Political culture can be defined as certain convictions, values and attitudes which is shared by a society or larger community with regards to political activity, actions and the political system and which forms the foundation on which most political systems are based (Manheim, 1982:49). Furthermore, political culture also contains the role of an individual within a political system (Diamond, 1999: 163). Societies are largely heterogeneous in many aspects and thus it can be problematic to achieve consensus within a society about values and beliefs to form a single cultural approach (Almond & Verba, 1963: 25).

Political culture can also be classified as either broad or narrow, depending on the quantity of issues upon which the …show more content…

Functions which are however considered vital will characteristically be stable and extremely difficult to develop and change (Manheim, 1982: 50). To assess the effect of political culture on the political system, it is important to firstly consider the vital functions separately in both aspects. It serves an important function for individuals within society as it enables citizens to understand and give meaning to certain political actions (Manheim, 1982: 51). A weak political culture can possibly lead to political instability and the deterioration of a political order (Manheim, 1982: …show more content…

It can be said as leading to stability as it means that there is consensus about which political actions are deemed appropriate (Manheim, 1982: 54). It is the laying out of a framework or rules for which aspects of political activity is socially acceptable within a given society and grants the political structure with a sense of legitimacy as it requires the society within which it functions to share fundamental political beliefs (Manheim, 1982: 55). Aspects of political culture are unique across different political societies and there are many points to consider regarding these aspects. A political system must be in harmony with the desires and expectations of the citizens who are governed to obtain their support and subsequently be regarded as legitimate (Manheim, 1982:

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