Right Wing Flashcards
What are reasons for the right turn
Venezuela crisis
Left turn coincided with economic boom, its end led to recessions and disillusionment with governments
corruption - Lula began 12 year prison sentence for excepting bribes for government contracts - part of operation car wash
Left wing fatigue
Growth of middle class - anti distribution right can count on their votes
- Brazil impeachment mostly by middle class
How did the Venezuela crisis contribute to the right turn
Chavez government start of left turn
It’s economic policy success inspired other governments
Crisis now viewed as a warning against similar governments
What causes the growth of the middle class
Poverty reduction -70 million lifted out 2002-14 - 30 in Brazil Ecuador middle class doubled - 18.58% to 37.4%
What is authoritarian neoliberalism
Involves reconfiguration of the state into a less democratic entity through constitutional and legal changes that seek to insulate it from social and political conflict
What are factors of the right turn
Grounded in institutional elitism emerging from business politics consolidation of business executives within elite political struggles
Increasing influence of non-electoral right eg social conservatism emerging from growing evangelical population
Use of media and information communication to dominate discourse in public spheres
Social inequality limits ability to dismantle social policies created under the left wing - has looked to increase state role in market to increase equality of opportunity
Explain the right turn in Brazil
30 million lifted from poverty
Reduction in inequality put economic pressure on middle class - larger middle class discontent with redistribution policies of the workers party and rising living costs
Petrobas and Odebrecht scandals saw widespread protests against workers party and impeachment of Rousseff
Bolsonaro used grievances middle class and adopted anti corruption discourse to gain support across class system - elected in 2018
What are Bolsonaro’s right wing policies
Are spread across neoliberal economic reform, domestic policy and military centric security policy reform
Economic policies focused privatisation and public spending cuts
Opposed to social movements advocating for women and lgbtq rights
Authorised police and military to take greater role in public security
Still identifies with authoritarian past, highlighting inability of democracy in Brazil to shift respective tendencies amongst political groups and leaders
Explain the right turn in Argentina
Economic difficulties and unpopular reforms (high agriculture tax rate) led to revolts against Kirchner - 1000000 attended in 2013
Cambiemos coalition emerged in 2015 - for first time in 12 years argentina elected a pro market industrialist
What policies were introduced by macri
Pro market economic reform
Anti torture policy - fulfils its obligation under the UN optional protocol
Anti corruption policies -provided the oficiana anti-corrupcion with greater autonomy
2017 law guaranteed public access to information
Social policy reform- increased pension, childcare and unemployment benefits
Removal of export quotas and tariffs on corn and wheat
How were Macri’s policies undemocratic
Implemented presidential decrees in 2016 by avoiding congress
appointed two magistrates to the Supreme Court
Amended governments 2009 media law against monopolies in the media
Decree 683 and 703 legitimised remilitarisation towards internal threats eg drug cartels
Corruption scandals - including 6 federal investigations for money laundering, influence trafficking and illegal increase of his families wealth
What is influence trafficking
Using influence in government or connections with persons in authority to obtain favours or treatment for another, usually in return fro payment
What decree increased praetorianism in Argentina
683
