Introduction The article “Power” by Hannah Arendt is a 1970 publication that discusses the aspect of power and violence in the political world. In this article, Arendt discusses and defines power and violence at length, thereby bringing out the difference between power and violence. The principal argument in this article is that power and violence cannot coexist, and the existence of one means that the other one is absent. Also evident is the fact that whereas violence has the capacity to eliminate power, it is impossible for power to emanate from violence. As such, violence has to be studied from the aspect of where it emanates from as well as its nature. It also clear that governments can only exist with power, and violence cannot sustain any government. The idea of violence as an illegitimate thing is contested since violence depends on the defining party. Article summary The author of this article starts by highlighting the misconception held by many politicians about violence in the political world as a display of power. A common misconception that has been raised in this article is that most politicians think that power in ruling people is equivalent to exercising legitimate violence, also well known as organized violence. The subject of power and violence has been examined in this article by analyzing the views of other political scientists and sociologists, and Arendt contests the definitions provided by many authors. To many authors, power is displayed as “an instrument of rule” (p. 36), which exists because someone dominates the other one. Indeed, the views of many on what power really are portrayed as drawing respect from others as a result of issuing commands. It is for this reason that many think that a person who reigns by the rule of the gun has the greatest power. And to add to this notion, the article highlights that some think of power as “a kind of mitigated violence” (p. 38), which does not differ greatly from the view that power is best manifested through violence. Failure of political science in distinguishing terms such as power, strength, force, and authority has also been criticized by Arendt (p. 45). The author highlights that treating these terms as synonyms in political science blurs the difference between power and violence. It is appreciable that the author defines the terms clearly and power emerges as being an entity owned by a group as opposed to the strength that is individualistic. Force emerges as energy coming from social movements, and authority is said to exist when respect for individuals or office is maintained (p. 45). These definitions are helpful in that it is possible to see violence as an instrument that is more individualistic, and it is reinforced by strength. From these definitions, it is also easy to identify any violence that may come disguised in the name of the authority. This is applicable in our current society since any institution that claims to be exercising authority can be tested by how much it respects those who are under the institution. Article critique Trying to separate power from violence is not an obvious task, more so in modern society. Even as this article tries to draw a clear line between power and violence, power and violence are almost inseparable. Take, for instance, the high violence experienced close to the end of the 20th century, as stated b