How Politics Works

Discover everything you need to know about political history and thought, and the inner workings of governments all around the globe!

Combining clear, jargon-free language and bold, eye-catching graphics, How Politics Works is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to all aspects of politics. Covering everything from political theory to methods of government, the book presents the ideas and theories of key political philosophers, leaders, movements, and activists in a uniquely visual and easy-to-understand way. 

Explaining political ideas on a conceptual level, entries explore how they apply to governments, movements, and trends throughout history, along with 21st-century examples such as the #MeToo movement and #BlackLivesMatter. The book also shows how political history is affected by
economics, sociology, and the role of the media – an ever-relevant issue in the age of “fake news” and “cancel culture”, and the current distrust of the economic forces behind certain areas of the media. With a unique graphic approach to the topic, How Politics Works is the perfect introduction to the subject, and an ideal companion title to DK’s The Politics Book in the ‘Big Ideas’ series.

With power to every page, this politics book  

- Simple, easy-to-understand graphics explain key ideas clearly and effectively
- Offers a practical, no-nonsense approach to each subject
- Fully comprehensive, covering all the key aspects of political philosophy, theory, and history
- Explains different systems of government and how they function
- Theory-led but will cover modern political phenomena such as “fake news” and recent political groups and movements such as #BlackLivesMatter

A must-have volume for readers seeking a simple and accessible guide to both politics and international relations, as well as students of politics or history, The Politics Book covers a wide range of topics, from populism to propaganda, moral leadership to manipulating elections and so much more. In today’s climate, politics is engaging more people than ever before due to access to information via social media, with young influencers such as Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai having incremental followings on platforms such a Instagram and Twitter. 


At DK, we believe in the power of discovery.

So why stop there?

How Politics Works is part of DK’s widely successful How Stuff Works series. Discover the inner workings of the mind with How the Brain Works, succeed in all things science with How Science Works and discover the cosmos like you’ve never known before with How Space Works. Whatever topic sparks your interests, there’s a plethora of knowledge to discover!