Midterm Flashcards
The how and Why Of Putins Regime Change
How?
- Undermine free elections - no genuine competition, limited opposition
- Control civil society - limited independence
Limited information - control the media & internet
- Use law instrumentally
Why?
- Maintain regime support, stability
Real threat: economic instability & the power of ideas
Soviet Regime Characteristic Ideal Types
Totalitarian, Statist Characteristics: - Single Dominant Party - Centralized Economy – no market - Coercion - Single Ideology – belief system Communism (utopian) - Monopoly of Media - Monopoly of Weapons
Democracy Characteristics
Polyarchy - Robert Dahl: Competitive Political Parties and Human Rights
- Political parties which compete and articulate and aggregate public preferences
- Elections which allow the public to influence policies
- Freedom of Speech and Assembly
- Civil society
- Independent Legal system
- Human rights
- Some form of economic markets - ranging from laissez faire capitalism to socialist market with state role
TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE STATE & POLITICAL LEADERS
Authoritarianism
marked by “indefinite political tenure” of the ruler of ruling party (often in a single-party state) or other authority
- Lack of institutionalization
- No rule of law
- Dominance of state
- Individual or single party
- Society is still autonomous from state
Authority/Power: Charismatic Monarchic Normative Remunerative Coercive
Hybrid Regime
illiberal democracy, a judicial democracy
A system which has some of the institutions associated with democratic regimes, but which lacks the conditions under which they can function fairly
- Elections, but unfair playing field due to central intervention and lack of info.
- Authoritarian - use of law for political reason, not based on independent legal system
Dynamics of Change
Categorical - breakdowns lead to change in regime due to:
- development
- economic modernization
- social change
Continuum - shifts on a continuum between regime types
Hybrid - multiple equilibria, steady state
Characteristics of Current Russian Regime
- Single Party: Unified Russia
- Elections without choice or competition
- control over registration of candidates
- lack of information
- policies made by President with the legislature simply endorsing them
- Lack of independent judiciary & rule of law
- weak civil society
- limited freedom of assembly
Control over TV, one radio station which is threatened, but freedom of print media and internet - Use of legal system & police - intimidation
political & economic
Weak institionaization of legal & political system
Market - state role in favoring some enterprises, large state role in raw materials - gas, oil - Threat of nationalization
Ideology: Russian Nationalism - prominent role of the FSB and elites connected with them
- lack of transparency
Why did liberalization and possibly democratization fail?
- Lack of institutionalization & rule of law
- Economic corruption
- Legacy of Soviet era - political control, great power states, lack of civil society, imbalanced economic development
How did the current regime develop?
Failure of democratic development
Due to:
- Structural conditions: political and economic
- Isolation and failure of the West
Why now is the current regime like so?
- Economic decline of Russia - oil prices
- inability to maintain improvement in the standard of living
- Need for ideology of Nationalism to replace the absence of ideas (Crimea)
- Fear of the Color Revolutions - Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan
What factors exert influence on the Russian federation today?
Ideology Political Culture Physical Location of the USSR/Russia Nature of the Soviet Polity Economic System Role of ethnicity Control over mass media Use of Coercion - lack of independent rule of law
Ideology
- Soviet Union an entirely new ideological experiment
- a product of marxism-lenninism or stalinism
By time of Stalin was the soviet Union really a reflection of Russia & empire?
- industrialization from above, repression
Political Culture
Values came from Russia or Soviet Union?
Ideology - soviet internationalism?
Empire - Nationalism? Russian
Orthodoxy Communalism vs. Individualism
Physical Location of the USSR/ Russia
Maps
- lack of defendable borders
- Surrounded by non-orthodox states
Nature of Soviet Polity
Structural of the Soviet State & Institutions
- Hierarchical, Federal only in name
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Administrative, bureaucrats command system
Economic System
Central Planing - Gosplan
No markets (black market)
Money as an accounting mechanism, prices set by commodity balance, not market
Ratchet planning - storming, inefficiency
Legacy of imbalance between industry & agriculture, industrialization from above, gigantism, urban over rural sector, collectivization
Human capital - devalued
Role of Ethnicity
USSR & Russian Empire
Russian Federation - Republics based on ethnicity - issue of Sovereignty
The Transition Era
1988-1991
- Congress of Peoples Deputies of the USSR march 1989
- Semi competitive Elections - Marketization
- Coops, Competition - Freedom of the Press
Presidency
4 year set terms, changed to 6 years
President appoints the prime minister
Government serves at
pleasure of President, not the Duma
Duma
lower house of parliament
- must confirm Prime Minister and ‘powers’ ministers
- If Duma fails to confirm PM after 3 votes, President can dissolve Duma and call for new elections
Duma can Impeach
the President
- 2 votes on initiative of 1/3 deputies once the courts agree there are grounds for impeachment
- Treason
- but President must be convicted by the Federation Council on 2/3 vote not more than 3 months after original charges
- Treason
President can veto
Legislation
but Duma can override Presidential vetoes, but must be 2/3 vote
If president resigns,
PM becomes acting President.
- Presidential election must be within 3 months
Prime Minister
- appointed by President
- Government is subordinated to President not PM
- president must submit PM nomination to the Duma within 2 weeks of taking office
- If Duma rejects PM 3 times, President can dismiss Duma and call for new elections
Leadership and the Yeltsin & Putin Presidencies
Theme: Agency & Constraint
Breslauer
(231) - the importance of individual choices, but choices are shaped by
1. Political organization of regime
2. Ideology & Basis of Legitimation
3. Opinion of Political Establishment
4. Elite Competition
5. Social Forces
6. Foreign Influence
Yeltsin as
Charismatic Leader