Chapter 9 Polyarchies and Nonpolyarchies: An ExplanationSubordination of the MilitaryOne of the five key points of a polyarchic state is the necessary condition of the subordination of military and police forces to elected superiors. All states employ force and coercion internally to enforce laws and policies and often externally in their relations with other states. The first institution of polyarchy requires that elected officials control important government policy and that the second institution involves free and fair elections in which coercion is absent or quite limited. There are two main points in this subtopic to be considered so a country should be governed by polyarchy. First, Military and police organizations must be subject to civilian control and not threaten the fairness of elections or threaten the control over government policy that, by definition, must rest with elected, civilian government officials who head the government in a polyarchic state. Second, the civilians who control the military and police must themselves be subject to control by means of the institutions of polyarchy, most notably, frequent, fair, and free election. Supportive Political CulturePolitical Scientist used the term political culture to refer to the ideas, beliefs, attitudes, and predispositions about politics held in common by the people of a state or some other identifiable and relatively large group of politically related people. By saying that a political culture supportive of polyarchy is an important factor in why some countries are polyarchic and some are not because we are saying that people and especially people active in politics believe their political systems should operate does indeed affect whether their political systems are polyarchic. Beliefs in politics do shape how politics is carried, and widespread beliefs supportive of polyarchy are a critically important factor in sustaining polyarchic political systems.