At the beginning of this textbook it is shown how to deal with politics in a scientific way. Then a walk through the history of political ideas is taken as well as an introduction to modern political science theory. This is followed by a chapter on system analysis and system comparison. It provides an overview of the diversity of political systems and their development patterns, as well as a systematic overview of the most important political structures and their functions. A chapter on the development and analysis of international relations concludes the volume. Control questions, recommended reading, and an extensive index of subjects and persons facilitate access to the content.