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COMPARATIVE POLITICAL THEORY ACCORDING TO
GABRIEL A. ALMOND
Gabriel Abraham Almond was one of the users of Easton's political system theory, but Almond made a number of modifications to Easton's theory. If Easton builds a grand theory, then Almond builds a middle-range theory. Apart from that, Almond emphasized macro theory, unlike Easton who focused more on micro politics. In an article entitled Comparative Political Systems in 1956, Almond proposed three assumptions to be considered in the study of political systems. The first concerns the system of marking the totality of interactions between political units and balance in an ever- changing system. The second thing is that the important thing in the political system is not only formal institutions, but also informal structures and the roles they play. And the third is that political culture has the main tendency in the political system, which means that culture is what can differentiate one political system from another political system. According to Almond (1956), a political system is the totality of interactions between the units within it. This interaction is not only limited to formal political institutions or actors but also informal actors. According to Almond, the balance in the political system is always changing so that the political system is more dynamic. Changes in this balance of course cannot
be separated from the influence of the intrasocietal and extrasocietal environment. This influence caused the balance of power between formal structures to change, for example the domination of the power of the presidential institution over the legislature and judiciary in the pre-political transition period in 1998 which changed regimes in the following period. Almond and Sidney Verba specifically investigated this political culture which was compiled in the book The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations, published in 1963. In its development, the concept of political culture became increasingly popular and widely used by researchers in the world, including Indonesia. regarding political culture. Political culture is the result of political socialization in childhood, education, mass media, and the consequences of phenomena related to social and economic performance demonstrated by the government. Political culture consists of cognitive components which contain knowledge and beliefs about political reality, affective, namely a sense of appreciation for politics, and evaluative, namely commitment to political values. So the impact resulting from political culture tends to bind government structure and performance. Almond bases several key things on the political system. First, the political system is a system that exists in a free society. Second, the aim of political science is to achieve societal integration. Third, the political system
Gabriel Almond uses an approach in understanding and analyzing political systems in several countries where this comparative political theory emerged. The subjects of Gabriel Almond's classification of political systems are Anglo-American countries (England and America), Pre-Industrial or Partially Industrial States, Totalitarian countries, and continental European countries (Italy, France, and Germany). In the Anglo-American political system, it contains homogeneity and a secular political culture. Homogeneity means the same goals, such as the unity of the values of independence, prosperity and security. Next is the Pre-industrial or Partially Industrial State political system, this political system is identical to a culturally mixed political system. So the role played by political institutions and parliament is not only limited to these two institutions. The roles of each political institution can be mixed with each other and are unpredictable. Because of these mixed tendencies, there are two unpredictable possibilities where at any time the existing political system could undergo a transformation towards a new system, or towards a return to the old political system, with a traditional culture. Then the totalitarian political system is homogeneous, but homogeneity here has a synthetic homogeneous meaning, namely created deliberately by the actors involved. Structural roles are synonymous with the absence of legitimate power over the citizens they lead. The characteristics of
totalitarian politics are the use of violence, strong domination by the authorities, thus creating instability. The last one is the political system of continental European countries. The European continental system is a pattern of political culture characterized by a pattern of development imbalance. These cultural variations are outcroppings from previous cultures and with political manifestations. From this explanation it can be concluded that political comparisons between one country and another country contain several similarities and contradictions. The political culture originating from these four pioneer countries provides a model for other countries. Each country has its own characteristics and culture which cannot be ignored in comparing political systems. Political culture has the main tendencies in the political system, which means that culture is what can differentiate one political system from another political system. Comparative political studies simply provide a variety of approaches to understanding future trends. The author is of the opinion that in line with Almond who stated that the comparative political system is based on macro aspects, there is a balance of interactions between institutions, individuals and groups which can be used as a complement in the politics of a country.
