Introduction. -- Part I. On the nature of politics. -- Alexis de Tocqueville, 'Parties'. -- Alexis de Tocqueville, 'The French revolution'. -- Max Weber, 'Politics as a vocation'. -- David Easton, 'The analysis of political systems'. -- Talcott Parsons, 'Political systems and bureaucracy'. --Jürgen Habermas, 'The scientization of politics and public opinion. -- Part II. The operation of power. -- Karl Marx, 'State power and society'. --Gaetano Mosca, 'The political class'. -- C. Wright Mills, 'The structure of power in American society'. -- Robert A. Dahl, 'A critique of the ruling elite model'. -- Carl Kaysen, 'The corporation : how much power? What scope?'. -- Edward C. Banfield and James Q. Wilson, 'The centralization of influence'. -- Jerzy J. Wiatr and Adam Przeworski, 'Control without opposition'. -- Franz Schurmann, 'The Communist Party and the state'. -- Part III. Groups and parties. -- Samuel H. Beer, 'Group representation in Britain and the United States'. -- Robert Michels, 'Principles and bureaucracy in political parties'. -- Maurice Duverger, 'The origin of parties'. -- Stein Rokkan and Angus Campbell, 'Citizen participation in political life'. -- Seymour M. Lipset, 'Voting behaviour'. -- Part IV. Conflict and change. -- Erik Allardt, 'Types of protests'. -- Antonio Gramsci, 'Political forces in organic crises'. -- Frantz Fanon, 'Spontaneity : its strength and weakness'. -- Alain Touraine, 'The French student movement of May 1968'. -- Michael Walzer, 'The revolution of the saints'.