8.5b authoritarian, democratic

Question 1

china

Answer 1

authoritarian government

• the Chinese communist party has governed China since 1949 as a single-party, authoritarian state
• no general elections although Local People’s Congresses are directly elected
• Human Rights Watch states that China ‘curtails a wide range of human rights’
• senior Chinese leaders reject the universality of ‘human rights’
• increasing the Chinese Communist government is being challenged by China’s rapid economic growth –> there are now more frequent calls in the country for greater levels of democratic freedom

Question 2

india

Answer 2

democratic government

• india has become the world’s largest democracy since gaining independence in 1947
• its Constitution dates from 1950 and consists of 444 articles which include freedom of speech and religion
• India has a federal system of government
• has a vigorous media and independent judiciary
• BUT Human Rights Watch states that it still has serious concerns about the treatment of minority groups and women’s rights