Politics of Ideocracy

Jaroslaw Piekalkiewicz is Distinguished Professor of Western Civilization in the Department of Political Science at the University of Kansas. Alfred Wayne Penn is Professor of Public Administration and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Sangamon State University.

• Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter I. Ideocracy as a Distinctive Form of Politics What Is Ideocracy?Ideocracy DistinguishedIntellectual Origins of IdeocracyOrganic and Mechanical (Pragmatic) Concepts of the StatePolitics and Problem SolvingCommunity and IdeologyIdeocracy DescribedChapter II. Psychological and Cultural Aspects of Ideocracy Traditional Culture and Divergent Individual PropensitiesChapter III. Ideocratic Framework of Politics The Foundations of LegitimacyThe Organization of Political LeadershipThe Penetration of Political and Social OrganizationsThe Nature and Scope of Political Involvement: Total MobilizationThe Major Components of IdeocracyChapter IV. Causes of Ideocracy StabilityTypes of Social DisruptionMultipliers of Cumulative DisruptionLeadership, Ideology, and OrganizationScenario of Ideocratic RevolutionChapter V. Ideocracy in Dynamic Perspective: Inception and Stabilization IntroductionInception of IdeocracyStabilizationChapter VI. The Evolution of Ideocracy Self-DestructionPeaceful ErosionRegenerationConclusion: Ideocracy and Processes of Dynamic ChangeConclusion Notes Bibliography Index

"This book helps the reader to understand why and how ideocratic/totalitarian governments emerge, establish themselves, evolve, and eventually collapse, disintegrate, or transform themselves into new ideocracies. It helps comprehend past and present ideocratic governments and provides fine conceptual tools for identifying early signs of incipient ideocracies. It is interesting, full of important insights, and clearly written and organized." — Maria Los, University of Ottawa"This book's real novelty is the proposal to use the term 'ideocracy' not only as a description of a distinctive feature of classical totalitarianism but as a wider typological category. I see this as a truly innovative and valuable contribution to comparative politics." — Andrezj Walicki, O'Neill Chair of History, University of Notre Dame