ABSTRACT
The study of political culture is not new. The analysis of a particular political system in terms of its socio-cultural peculiarities is as old as the study of politics itself. Eminent writers on political science found concern with such issues and tried to link their study of politics to sociological and anthropological works on culture. Montesquieu focused attention on the ‘general spirit’ or ‘morals and customs of a nation’ in his De l’esprit des Lois; Tocqueville in his Democracy in America considered the habits, opinions and manners as factors determining any political inclination; Bagehot’s English Constitution contributed likewise to the study of political culture. The political culture of a society consists of fundamental beliefs and values determining the context of a political action. Political culture is of course merely one aspect of politics, but it is a highly significant one. Emerging from the specific historical experience of nations and groups, it provides a subjective perception of history and politics. As Robert Daniels wrote:
Political culture should be approached as a system that is both continuous and changeable, that steadily absorbs new infusions from its historical experiences and contacts, while older elements are eroded, metamorphosed, or sloughed off.2
