Editing Politician (section)

== Identity ==
[[File:Discurso funebre pericles.PNG|thumb|252x252px|Nineteenth-century painting by [[Philipp Foltz]] depicting the Athenian politician [[Pericles]] delivering his famous [[Pericles' funeral oration|funeral oration]] in front of the [[Ecclesia (ancient Athens)|Assembly]].]]
'''Politicians''' are people who participate in policy-making, in a multifaceted variety of positions of responsibility both domestically and internationally.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_370-2 |chapter=Politicians |title=Encyclopedia of Law and Economics |date=2021 |last1=Geys |first1=Benny |last2=Mause |first2=Karsten |pages=1–5 |isbn=978-1-4614-7883-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wordfind.com/word/politician/ |title=politician – Princeton Wordnet dictionary |publisher=wordfind.com }}</ref>

The role of the politician has changed dramatically over time, for example, [[Pericles]] of Athens played an important role in politics in ancient Greece both in public life and in decision-making as depicted in Philip Foltz's 19th-century painting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mark |first=joshua |date=March 28, 2018 |title=Pericles |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Pericles/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=World History Encyclopedia.}}</ref>

Over time the figure of the politician has evolved to include many forms and functions. For example, In the United States of America, [[George Washington]] played a pivotal role as a politician because he was the first President of the [[United States|United States of America]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=George Washington: The First President |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-washington/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=The White House.}}</ref> Today, political offices take many forms in the modern century in the United States of America such as ministers, [[mayor]]s, [[governor]]s, [[Senator for life|senators]], and presidents, each of whom has different duties.<ref>{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=State & Local Government |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/state-local-government/ |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=The White House}}</ref>

While all government leaders are considered politicians, not all politicians are subject to voters, autocratic and dictatorial regimes remain extant.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Angiolillo |first1=F. |last2=Wiebrecht |first2=F. |last3=Lindberg |first3=S. I. |date=2023 |title="Democratic-autocratic party systems: A new index" |url=https://www.v-dem.net/media/publications/wp_143.pdf |website=V-Dem Institute}}</ref>
[[File:Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington.jpg|thumb|This portrait is a copy by Stuart based on his own uncompleted [[Athenaeum Portrait|w:Athenaeum Portrait]]. This copy has been published in pre-1923 materials, including p. 442 of ''The Life of George Washington'' and p. 79 of ''Early American Painters''.]]
The identity of politicians is influenced by their social and work environments, their ideology, and the parties to which they belong, furthermore, the development of means of communication and [[social media]] have increased [[Public participation (decision making)|public participation]] in policy-making, leading to a reformation of politician's identity and increasing the complexity of political work.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-36525-7_5 |chapter=Social Media Effects: Hijacking Democracy and Civility in Civic Engagement |title=Platforms, Protests, and the Challenge of Networked Democracy |series=Rhetoric, Politics and Society |date=2020 |last1=Olaniran |first1=Bolane |last2=Williams |first2=Indi |pages=77–94 |isbn=978-3-030-36524-0 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Michalski |first=P. |date=2023 |title="When politics affects the self: High political influence perception predicts civic and political participation." |url=https://jspp.psychopen.eu/index.php/jspp/article/view/8379/8379.html |publisher=Journal of Social and Political Psychology}}</ref>