Political sociology was not an explicit science until the late 19th century, when men such as Barrington Moore Jr., Max Weber and later Christopher Dawson began to examine the complex interactions between state and society. What started as a semi-philosophical inquiry into the combined nature of government and society gradually evolved into narrower focuses upon particular issues of civic reform. As of the early 21st century, very few political sociologists engage the discipline as a theoretical study, preferring to evaluate and interpret statistical data.
Although not an explicit study until the late 19th century, political sociology's roots stretch back thousands of years. Classic texts in politics, such as Plato's "Republic" and Aristotle's "Politics," examine the relationship between man and the state, but principally with a concern as to the ordering of the state. Later texts, such as Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Thomas More's "Utopia," likewise examine the relationship between society and politics, but in a more explicit manner than their Grecian predecessors. Finally, works such as John Locke's "Second Treatise of Government," Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "Social Contract," the Declaration of Independence and the Communist Manifesto of Karl Marx concern themselves principally and predominately with the establishment of just relations between society and government.
In the early 21st century, political sociology narrowed its scope to particular issues of wealth, ethnicity, gender, cultural pluralism, totalitarianism, legislation and representation, insofar as each of these issues play a role in the interaction between society and government. At the center of each discussion is the role within and influence over society that any government ought to have, and the extent of a government's responsibility to society.
In studying the relationships between politics and society, many circumstances need to be considered: the histories of the government and society, the influences upon society that are independent of government, the foundational principles of the government and the issues of conflict within the government and within the society. Many conservative sociologists, such as Christopher Dawson, have expounded the necessity of a broad perspective in any sociological study, while more progressive proponents, such as Max Weber, advocate specialization.
The end purpose of political sociology, as a scientific study, is to better inform the student about the complex relationship between society and politics. Oftentimes this is confused with political activism, the finding of ways for social and political improvement through effective socio-political methods. Genuine political sociology aims at the comprehension of cause and effect in the frequently convoluted dynamic between society, a product of cultural force, and the governing and legislative political force of a country or political body.