Representative Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery Democrat from South Carolina, used a walking cane to attack Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist Republican from Massachusetts, in the Senate chamber (Source: flickr, Public domain)
Literature reviews are a particularly useful resource when doing research. They address the issues involved in a particular question and the debates among scholars. They map out the intellectual terrain succinctly and give you the major landmarks in terms of key authors and significant titles for greater understanding.
See below for examples of literature reviews devoted in whole or part to issues related to your topic:
Annual Review of Political Science 
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new window