Types Of Regimes Flashcards
Forms of govt
• Federal form of Government:
• In federal form of Government, there are at least two layers of governments (central/federal and provincial), both drawing power & autonomy from a written constitution that is subject to specific amendment procedures and judicial review by independent courts.
• Provincial or regional Governments are not subordinate to federal Government; they are equal partner in governance.
• Sovereignty is divided between vertical layers of Governments (Central, provincial, local)
• Example: USA, India, Canada, Australia, Germany, Switzerland
• Unitary form of Government
• All governing powers are concentrated in the central government. Administrative divisions at regional and local levels exercise only those powers that the central government has delegated to them.
Example: UK, France, Poland, Peru, Sri-Lanka, Egypt, Israel, etc.
Types of regimes
Democratic regime
Populist regime
Authoritarian regime
Totalitarian regime
Democratic regime
Rulers are chosen by the people through free fair, and periodic election legitimate Govt having people’s consent and mandate to rule
• Civil and Political Liberties: Rights & Freedom to Citizens protected by constitution and courts, which limit the powers of the state
• Rule of Law: Constitutional Government
Presence of strong & autonomous Civil Society (NGOs, interest groups, social
movements, opinion leaders)
• Free participation of citizens in political processes
• Strong, Independent, and Autonomous Institutional arrangement based on rule of law.
Populist regimes
Populism denotes democratic politics for protecting and furthering the interests of
“the people’, “the real and pure people’, against the ‘corrupt elites’, and entitled class.
Populist leaders, party, and movements claim to represent “the real and pure
people’.
• In Populism, “the real people’ are generally the majority ethnic, racial, religious community. In the populist ideology, they are the true and real people of that nation.
• Populist ideology don’t believe in minority rights, pluralism, and multi-culturalism.
• Populism is anti-elitist, anti-establishment, anti-system, anti-institutionalist, and illiberal. Populism denotes majoritarianism, as the ‘the people’ are always in majority.
• It also denotes identity politics. Cultural Nationalism is the most common identity used in Populism. “the people’ are considered as true and pure member of the nation and political community as defined by the Populist leader/party.
Authoritarian regime
• Authoritarianism denotes any political system that concentrates power in the hands of a supreme leader or a small elite that are neither chosen by nor responsible to the people.
A form of government characterized by the rejection of political plurality ( diversity of culture, political ideologies), the use of a strong centralised power to preserve the political status quo, and dilution in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic values.
• It denotes blind submission to a central authority, as opposed to individual freedom of thought, belief, and action.
• Personalistic: Headed by supreme leader wielding great amount of individual power- Hitler in Nazi Germany, Francisco Franco Spain, Saddam Hussein- Iraq, Zia-ul-Haq- Pakistan, Mobutu in Zaire
• It also denotes arbitrary use of power by the ruler, who is not bound by rule of law or constitution. People have no choice in replacing the ruler by voting.
• Individuals and groups have very few civil & political rights.
Totalitarian regime
Oppressive Rule by single political party following distinct political ideology.
Total control of State/Govt of almost all aspects of public and private life.
• State/Government interfere in both public and private domain to decide for the people the right way of life- food, dress, entertainment, travel, moral standards, education, etc
• For the ruling party the totalitarian regime is project for social transformation- bringing in new civilisation.
• All these actions are guided by the state ideology. The party becomes the vehicle to implement the ideology. Difference between the party and state are diluted.
• Thus, it denotes subordination of all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state.
• Denotes most extreme and complete form of authoritarianism.
• Benito Mussolini coined the term ‘totalitario’ in the early 1920s to characterize the new fascist state of Italy, which he further described as “all within the state, none outside the state, none against the state.” This became the defining feature of totalitarian regime.
Who coined the term totalitario
Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini coined the term ‘totalitario’ in the early 1920s to characterize the new fascist state of Italy, which he further described as “all within the state, none outside the state, none against the state.” This became the defining feature of totalitarian regime.
Who said that a political regime and what is the set of rules, procedures and understanding that formulate the relationship between the governors and a governed
Roy Macridis famous comparative thinker
Authoritarian regimes in world currently
North Korea, Syria, Chad , Central African Republic, Congo
As a political ideology, totalitarianism traces its roots from where
Plato’s conception of ideal state
Hegel’s idea of organic state
Rousseau’s idea of general will and positive freedom
Marks idea of dictatorship of ploletriat
Types of authoritarian regimes
Types of Authoritarian regimes:
Tyrannies
• Also called dictatorship.
• Political power is acquired and used in absolute manner by a tyrant(dictator).
• Army, police become like personal force of the dictator. They are used arbitrarily to threaten, repress and keep watch on the opposition leaders/group.
• Example: Batista in Cuba, Somoza in Nicaragua, “Papa Doc”, Duvalier in Haiti, Emperor Bokassa in Central Africa, Idi Amin Dada in Uganda
Dynastic regimes:
•In dynastic regimes political power is shared by the ruling family, which rule by convention without using much force.
• People consider such regime legitimate and offer political obligation to the regime.
• Majority of dynastic rules are benevolent, try to provide welfare service to people, and undertake socioeconomic development
• Power of the ruler is tempered (moderated) by social customs, conventions, mutual obligations and religious sanctions.
• Lack of people’s participation in governance and representative institutions. Phough some dynastic rulers have given few powers to elected legislative assemblies.
• No distinction between the wealth of country and the personal wealth of ine king/ruler.
• Example: Sultan of Brunei, Royal dynasty in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Bhutan, Kingdom of Nepal( before 2006), etc.
Military regimes:
•It is rule by military dictator, mostly after toppling a civilian Government through military coup.
• Most common type of contemporary authoritarian form of Government
• Military rule can be either direct or indirect
• Indirect military rule: a pseudo-democratic regime in which despite the constitution, regular elections, democratic power structures, and other democratic processes, the military dictator controls and influences the decision-making process. Military has veto power on major decisions.
• Direct Military regime: The military general act as de-facto president of the country.
Generally, such regime keep legislature, and judiciary intact, giving them some relative autonomy.
• Military regime uses referendum and plebiscites to prove its legitimacy.
• Many military regimes handover the power to civilian Government peacefully. In Nigeria, many ex. Military rulers participate in civilian Government.
• Example: Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria (multiple times in past), Brazil, Sudan, Mali, etc.
Single-party regimes:
•Only one party is allowed or able, either by the constitution or by political practice, to rule.
•Even if opposition parties against the dominant ruling party are allowed, they have no real chance of gaining power.
• Membership of the ruling single party are motivated primarily by personal attachment to the leader or by tribal/ethnic loyalties, and party organization is not usually very strong.
• The police, army act as force of the ruling party, which becomes the support agencies to the government.
•But because of weakness in party organization, the party plays the secondary role in government.
• People get limited opportunity to participate in governance. They get some limited voting rights.
Since they lack any ideological force, or socio-religious sanctions, legitimacy of such regimes are low.
Example: Syria, Iraq (before the US military attack in 2003), Tunisia, Tanzania, Egypt, Kenya and Mexico.
Types of totalitarian regimes
• Communist totalitarian regimes
• State ideology: Marxism/Leninism/ communism
• Economic policy: Left Wing
• Single party Rule by the communist party.
• Example: Soviet Union under Stalin, China under Mao Zedong, and North Korea under the Kim dynasty.
• Fascist regimes
• State Ideology: Fascism (extreme militant nationalism)
• Right wing in socio-cultural domain
• Single party rule: Fascist party in Italy, Nazi party in Germany
• Example: Nazi Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini,
Who said populism is a illiberal democratic response to undemocratic liberalism
Cas muddle
Who described populist regimes as the tyranny of the majority
JS mill
