Unit 2 Flashcards
What is a democracy?
What are the elements to prove a democracy is present?
A democracy is defined as a political system in which all the people of a state are involved in making decisions.
1) a political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections.
2) Protection of human rights for all citizens.
3) The right to independent and alternative sources of information in mass media.
4) The right to freely associate with other people, and freely join and leave organizations as the individual sees fit.
5) The right to assemble freely to protest actions of the government.
6) Rule of Law.
More detail:
1) For starters, every democracy possesses a political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections.
2) The next characteristic that a democracy must possess is the protection of human rights for all citizens. These rights include the right to believe what the individual wants, and to speak and write about those beliefs freely. The right to religious freedom, and freedom of worship. The right to enjoy one’s own culture, even if it is in the minority.
3) The right to independent and alternative sources of information in mass media.
4) The right to freely associate with other people, and freely join and leave organizations as the individual sees fit.
5) The right to assemble freely to protest actions of the government.
6) The final characteristic that a state must have to be considered a democracy is a rule of law that applies equally to all citizens. Rule of Law is truly what a democracy is all about, maintaining a society where all people are treated fairly and equally by the state.
A true democracy should allow its people to engage in these activities, as long as they are not violating the rights of others.
What is a direct democracy?
What is an indirect democracy?
What determines if elections are both free and fair? (7 items)
Secondly, in a democracy, a state must allow the active participation of the people in both ________ and __________.
There are two notable types of democracies, direct democracies and indirect democracies.
Direct democracies are when people vote directly on whether or not a policy will be enacted.
Whereas an indirect democracy is when the people choose representatives to vote for them.
What determines if elections are both free and fair? According to Robert Dahl, elections are free and fair when they possess these necessary components.
1) Voters can see that their preferred candidate has the opportunity to be on the ballot.
2) There are multiple parties or candidates contending for office.
3) Candidates have adequate time to get their messages out to the voters and voters have access to alternative sources of information.
4) All voters may cast a vote without unneccessary institutional obstructions.
5) All voters’ votes are counted equally.
6) The candidate who receives the most votes is declared the winner.
7) Elected officials are allowed to take office and their orders are executed.
Secondly, in a democracy, a state must allow the active participation of the people in both politics and civil life. To understand this you must first understand what a civil society is.
What is civil society?
What is a pluralist society?
Civil societies are groups such as churches, clubs, and charities that people choose to form and join in to express themselves.
Countries that allow citizens to join and lead these clubs freely are known as pluralist societies. Pluralist societies are large, healthy, and freely organized. Pluralist societies find that their success or failure is determined by the free competition that they participate in.
What is Rule of Law?
Rule of Law is a concept that has continued to evolve throughout human history. Western tradition first saw Rule of Law in 1215 with the Magna Carta in England.
Rule of Law means that the government is not to reshape the regime to benefit their own interests. Instead, the government is limited by a Constitution or set of laws that define the limitations of power.
Are political parties necessary in a democracy?
What roles do they fulfill? (5)
Every functioning modern liberal democracy to date has had political parties. Democracies lean on the idea of majority rule, so there must be a way for a majority to organize itself and that is by way of political party. A political party is an institution that seeks to gain control of government for the purpose of wielding political power to achieve common goals to its members.
Political parties play an important role in democracies.
1) They nominate candidates for office,
2) organize majority rule,
3) enlist elites to run government,
4) educate voters, and
5) simplify participation for the average voter.
What is the difference between political parties and interest groups?
What is interest articulation?
What is interest aggregation?
Political parties run candidates for office, whereas interest groups only endorse candidates that are running.
Although political parties and interest groups are distinct from one another, they do in fact perform certain similar functions in democracies.
This brings up the term interest articulation and interest aggregation.
The process of interest articulation begins with interest groups. Interest groups communicate the common interests of its members with policymakers and the public at large.
Once this interest articulation is communicated, both the interest group and the political party involve themselves in the process of interest aggregation, or the combining of the interests of many individuals and groups into a formal policy program.
Democracies include the election of representatives to a representative lawmaking body.
What are two systems for electing representatives?
Which countries use each of these systems?
1) Proportional representation systems
a. Mexico, for 200 of the Chamber of Deputies seats
2) Single-member district systems
a. Mexico, for 300 of the Chamber of Deputies seats
b. United States House of Rep and Senate
________________ systems give parties seats based on the percentage of votes they receive. ___________ generally have a large geographic voting public that will elect a large number of representatives. In proportional systems, votes are not cast for an individual candidate but instead for a political party. This means that the political party will receive a percentage of representation that is equal to the percentage of the votes that they received.
Besides finding a high level of party unity in _________ systems, ________ government is also common in this type of system
First, let’s take a look at proportional representation systems, often called PR systems.
PR systems give parties seats based on the percentage of votes they receive. Proportional systems generally have a large geographic voting public that will elect a large number of representatives. In proportional systems, votes are not cast for an individual candidate but instead for a political party. This means that the political party will receive a percentage of representation that is equal to the percentage of the votes that they received.
An example would be in election where 100 seats were up for re-election in the constituency. Party A receives 48% of the vote, Party B receives 32% of the vote and Party C receives 20% of the vote. In a pure PR system, the voters just elected 48 candidates from Party A, 32 candidates from Party B and 20 candidates from Party C.
Besides finding a high level of party unity in proportional systems, coalition government is also common in this type of system.
What is a party list?
However, voters only voted for parties, not individual candidates. So, who will take the office? This question is answered by a party list. A party list is published before an election and includes a ranking of the candidates for a political party for voter review. The list decides who will take office.
In this example, the top 48 names on the Party A’s list will take office, the top 32 names on Party B’s list will take office, and the top 20 candidates on Party C’s list will take office. The use of a party list leads to a high level of party unity.
Since the political ambitions of a candidate are dependent upon their position on the list, candidates tend to be highly influenced to support their party in order to stay in good graces of party leadership and avoid moving lower on the list. Besides finding a high level of party unity in proportional systems, coalition government is also common in this type of system.
What is a coalition government?
A coalition government occurs when parties work together in choosing a government and policy legislation. Coalition government is more likely to occur in proportional systems, because no one party gained complete control of the seats up for election. But instead, the seats were divided, based on votes.
In the __________________ type of system, seats are only given to the candidate with the most votes in each district. ________________ systems divide a state into many constituencies, each given a single member to represent them. In each constituency, the candidate with the most votes would win. Candidates in an ____________ win with a plurality of votes, but this does not mean the majority of votes.
The other system we need to discuss is the single-member district systems, or SMDs.
In this type of system, seats are only given to the candidate with the most votes in each district. SMD systems divide a state into many constituencies, each given a single member to represent them. In each constituency, the candidate with the most votes would win. Candidates in an SMD win with a plurality of votes, but this does not mean the majority of votes.
Take for example an election where a constituency voted 30% for candidate A, 25% for candidate B and 45% for candidate C. Even though 55% of the people voted for another candidate, the winning candidate here would be candidate C because they won the plurality. Take a look at this chart.
You’ll notice that party A has won 2 of the 5 seats, and party C won 3 of the 5 seats. Even though party B won 20% of the votes, they received no representation. In a democracy, executive power is also given to an elected official. The way the executive is chosen, however, varies from state to state.
What is the difference between a majority of the votes and a plurality of votes? What is a 2/3 majority?What is a supermajority?
A plurality of the votes identifies the winner with the highest percentage, say 40% with results of 40%, 30%, 20%, 5%, 4%, and 1%. These types of elections allow lots of candidates and do not require a run-off election.
A majority of the votes identifies as the winner the person with more than 50% of the votes. This works well in a two-candidate race. However, in a race with many candidates or minority candidates (not expected to win but able to garner a small percentage of votes), they can siphon votes such that no candidate gets 50%. A run-off election (as in GA for the senate) is then held, limiting the candidates, often to the top two vote-getters, so that one candidate may emerge with a majority (> 50%).
A super majority is often used for passing legislation and requires a specific percentage threshold, like 60% of votes cast, or 2/3 of votes cast. A 2/3 majority simply spells out what fraction is needed for the supermajority.
Let’s review presidential systems and parliamentary systems of government. In a ____________ system of government, voters cast their votes directly for a specific candidate. This separates the __________ from the ___________, creating a separation of power.
In a ____________ system, the president does not need to maintain support of the legislators or members of their party to maintain their power.
This can create a ______________ government.
Let’s review presidential systems and parliamentary systems of government. In a presidential system of government, voters cast their votes directly for a specific candidate. This separates the executive from the legislature, creating a separation of power. In a presidential system, the president does not need to maintain support of the legislators or members of their party to maintain their power.
This can create a divided government.
A _______________ system of government gives ____________ power to the chosen leader of the majority party in the legislature. This person is usually called the _______________. ______________ systems do not have separation of powers because both the ___________ and _______________ branches are fused together in this system of government.
___________systems use an internal process called ______________ to make sure that their chief executive, or _____________ is a cooperative party mate. They use a _________________ to remove and replace an executive who does not cooperate with the majority party. There is very little chance of gridlock or a divided government in a ______________ system.
A parliamentary system of government gives executive power to the chosen leader of the majority party in the legislature. This person is usually called the prime minister. Parliamentary systems do not have separation of powers because both the executive and legislative branches are fused together in this system of government.
Parliamentary systems use an internal process called vote of no confidence to make sure that their chief executive, or prime minister, is a cooperative party mate. They use a vote of no confidence to remove and replace an executive who does not cooperate with the majority party. There is very little chance of gridlock or a divided government in a parliamentary system.
What is the difference between the head of state and the head of government?
______________ systems tend to unite both the head of state and the head of government into one role held by a single individual, while ____________ systems tend to divide the two roles between two distinct leaders. For instance, Great Britain has a ____________ system of government, placing the monarch as the _____________ and the ____________ as the head of government.
Mexico, on the other hand, has a ____________ system of government where the ____________ acts as both the head of state and the head of government.
It is important to point out that executive roles and structures that vary from state to state. One role is the head of state. Head of state involves the ceremonial responsibilities. The role of head of state differs from the role of head of government. Head of government is responsible for the administration of the policies of the state.
Presidential systems tend to unite both the head of state and the head of government into one role held by a single individual, while parliamentary systems tend to divide the two roles between two distinct leaders. For instance, Great Britain has a parliamentary system of government, placing the monarch as the head of state and the prime minister as the head of government.
Before the 18th century, when we first caught glimpse of a liberal democracy, basically all political regimes around the world could be considered authoritarian.
What is an authoritarian regime?
Before the 18th century, when we first caught glimpse of a liberal democracy, basically all political regimes around the world could be considered authoritarian.
Authoritarian regimes are, in essence, a government that does not have a democratic method of rule.
Authoritarian regimes invest the political authority of their state into the hands of a small group of individuals, who in turn exercise this authority, without any constitutional responsibility to the people.
The people in an authoritarian regime are limited, because they do not have a way to remove the government from power, and replace it with another one.
What is the difference between authoritarianism and totalitarianism?
Authoritarianism is not the same as totalitarianism.
Totalitarianism is what the root word hints at, total control. Every aspect of a person’s life, their career, family life, political, and religious views, are all controlled by the government. Think of Hitler’s Germany, or Stalin’s Soviet Union. [The book 1984].
People in most authoritarian regimes still have some personal freedoms, for the most part. They’re free to marry who they want, live where they want, choose their own careers, and practice their religious beliefs.
Authoritarian societies possess some common factors. Their __________ factors, __________ factors, and ____________ factors are ways to link them together. Large-scale economic ____________ is one factor that contributes to authoritarianism. When there’s widespread ____________, and a lack of economic ____________, authoritarianism sees no resistance. If a society has a large ____________ class, they would be able to undermine authoritarian rule.
Authoritarian societies possess some common factors. Their economic factors, social factors, and religious factors are ways to link them together. Large-scale economic inequality is one factor that contributes to authoritarianism. When there’s widespread poverty, and a lack of economic equality, authoritarianism sees no resistance. If a society has a large middle class, they would be able to undermine authoritarian rule.
Political ______________ largely influences whether or not a country is democratic or authoritarian. History of one’s country often dictates their political _____________. Our world sees societies that have existed for thousands of years, that are deeply rooted in authoritarian practices, that were needed for safety and security. The term statism lends to this idea.
What is statism?
Political culture largely influences whether or not a country is democratic or authoritarian. History of one’s country often dictates their political philosophies. Our world sees societies that have existed for thousands of years. That are deeply rooted in authoritarian practices, that were needed for safety and security. The term statism lends to this idea.
Statism is the tendency to trust in the state, for security and provision of basic needs. This trust in the state allows authoritarianism to exist.
Now let’s look at how religion can influence authoritarian regimes. Some religions are more likely to have non-democratic beliefs than others. Two religion that should be noted here, are _________ and ___________.
Countries that are linked to these two religions tend to be slower in accepting democracy. This could be due to the formal hierarchies respected by those following these faiths, allowing them to see the reasoning behind authoritarianism.
___________, on the other hand, is the opposite. The __________ religion developed by challenging institutional authority.
Now let’s look at how religion can influence authoritarian regimes. Some religions are more likely to have non-democratic beliefs than others. Two religion that should be noted here, are Islam and Catholicism.
Countries that are linked to these two religions tend to be slower in accepting democracy. This could be due to the formal hierarchies respected by those following these faiths, allowing them to see the reasoning behind authoritarianism.
Protestantism, on the other hand, is the opposite. The Protestant religion developed by challenging institutional authority. [I disagree, Protestantism, in general, tends to fracture into smaller and smaller denominations, so that there is no central religious authority. The Church of England would be an exception.]
Their embrace of freedom and change made it easy for them to openly embrace democratic values. [normative statement, not factual?]
What is coercion?
What are some coercive tactics?
What is cooptation?
How does cooptation differ from patron-clientelism?
Coercion is the use of force to make people submit to a regime.
Coercive tactics take many forms, surveillance, tracking, and violence, just to name a few.
Cooptation is probably the most consistent tactic used by authoritarian regimes.
So what is cooptation? Cooptation can be defined by bringing groups and individuals into a beneficial relationship with the state, so that they do not challenge the legitimacy of the regime.
[Cooptation applies to groups to avoid challenges, whereas patron-clientelism is more likely to apply to individuals (or a colony to an empire) as a reward for good behavior.]
Another cooptation strategy seen is patron-clientelism. This is when the rulers of an authoritarian regime place people into positions of power within the government. This creates a structure where loyalty and favor-trading exists, and makes it nearly impossible to challenge the power held by the state. Therefore preserving the dominance of authoritarian rule. [party-members in Russia, China, and in 1984]
In patron-clientelism, corruption can be seen when those who are loyal to a party are given positions of authority, in exchange for their loyalty.
What is state corporatism?
One strategy of cooptation is state corporatism. In a corporatist state, the state acts as the decision maker when conflicts arise between the interests of business and labor, and other competing interests.
[The US did this in WWI to avoid worker strikes.]
[Wikipedia: Corporate statism, state corporatism, or simply corporatism is a political culture and a form of corporatism - closely related to fascism - whose adherents hold that the corporate group which forms the basis of society is the state. The state requires all members of a particular economic sector to join an officially designated interest group. Such interest groups thus attain public status, and they participate in national policymaking. As a result, the state has great control over the groups, and groups have great control over their members.]
[As with other political cultures, societies have existed historically which exemplified corporate statism, for instance as propounded by Othmar Spann (1878-1950) in Austria and implemented by Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) in Italy (1922-1943) and by António de Oliveira Salazar’s Estado Novo in Portugal (1933-1974).[2] The Congo Free State (1885-1908) is generally considered another example of a corporate state, as it had sovereign control of the Congo and operated as a profit-seeking corporation, under the personal rule and private ownership of Leopold II of Belgium.]
Corporate statism most commonly manifests itself as a ruling party acting as a mediator between the workers, capitalists and other prominent state interests by institutionally incorporating them into the ruling mechanism. Corporatist systems were most prevalent in the mid-20th Century in Europe and later elsewhere in developing countries. According to this[which?] critique, interests, both social and economic, are so diverse that a state cannot possibly mediate between them effectively through incorporating them.[citation needed] Social conflicts go beyond incorporated dichotomies of labor and capital to include innumerable groups. Furthermore, globalization presents challenges, both social and economic, that a corporate state cannot sufficiently address because these problems transcend state borders and approaches.[citation needed] Corporate statism therefore differs from Corporate nationalism in that it is a social mode of organization rather than economic nationalism operating through private business corporations.]
Comparative government sees example of this in all the six countries of study.
[What is fascism?]
Wikipedia: Fascism is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism[1][2] characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy[3] which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.[4] The first fascist movements emerged in Italy during World War I, before spreading to other European countries.[4] As opposed to liberalism, democracy, Marxism, and anarchism, fascism is placed on the far right within the traditional left–right spectrum.[4][5][6]
Fascists saw World War I as a revolution that brought massive changes to the nature of war, society, the state, and technology. The advent of total war and the total mass mobilization of society had broken down the distinction between civilians and combatants. A “military citizenship” arose in which all citizens were involved with the military in some manner during the war.[7][8] The war had resulted in the rise of a powerful state capable of mobilizing millions of people to serve on the front lines and providing economic production and logistics to support them, as well as having unprecedented authority to intervene in the lives of citizens.[7][8]
Fascists believe that liberal democracy is obsolete and regard the complete mobilization of society under a totalitarian one-party state as necessary to prepare a nation for armed conflict and to respond effectively to economic difficulties.[9] A fascist state is led by a strong leader such as a dictator and a martial law government composed of the members of the governing fascist party to forge national unity and maintain a stable and orderly society.[9]
Fascism rejects assertions that violence is automatically negative in nature and views imperialism, political violence and war as means that can achieve national rejuvenation.[10][11]
Fascists advocate a mixed economy, with the principal goal of achieving autarky (national economic self-sufficiency) through protectionist and economic interventionist policies.[12] The extreme authoritarianism and nationalism of fascism often manifests a belief in racial “purity” or a “master race”, usually synthesized with some variant of racism or bigotry of a demonized other; the idea of “purity” has motivated fascist regimes to commit massacres, forced sterilizations, genocides, mass killings or forced deportations against a perceived other.[13][14][15]
___________ shows corruption at its finest.
In order to understand corruption, you must know and understand the difference between __________ and __________.
_______________ is the ability to make people take actions that they would not otherwise take. ____________ involves an official position entrusted to an individual. Not all ___________ requires ___________.
Think of a group of rebels leading an uprise, they have no authority to lead. However, they are able to compel people to follow their demands, with their _________ alone.
What is corruption?
Patron-clientelism shows corruption at its finest. In order to understand corruption, you must know and understand the difference between power and authority. Power is the ability to make people take actions that they would not otherwise take. Authority involves an official position entrusted to an individual. Not all power requires authority.
Think of a group of rebels leading an uprise, they have no authority to lead. However, they are able to compel people to follow their demands, with their power alone.
Now, back to corruption. Corruption is the abuse of a position of authority, for personal gain. In patron-clientelism, corruption can be seen when those who are loyal to a party are given positions of authority, in exchange for their loyalty.
What are four types of authoritarian rule?
One type of Authoritarian regime is that of ___________.
This is when the regime is shaped to fit the interests of the ruler.
Another type is __________; which is usually is the result of a coup d’etat.
What is a coup d’etat?
Next there is ___________, or a dominant-party system. This is when there is only one political party competing for, and exercising, political power.
Finally are authoritarian regimes based on ____________. The main intention of ____________ is to rule by God. This is seen when the religious leaders hold the power in the state.
As you can see, there are many commonalities between authoritarian regimes. But it is important to point out that no two authoritarian regimes are alike. Let’s take a look at four different types of authoritarian regimes:
1) Personal rule
2) military rule
3) one-party rule
4) theocracy.
1) Personal rule is when the regime is shaped to fit the interests of the ruler.
2) Another type is military rule; military rule usually is the result of a coup d’etat.
A coup d’etat is when the military of a state decides to remove those in charge, and the military takes control in its place.
3) Next there is one-party rule, or a dominant-party system. This is when there is only one political party competing for, and exercising, political power.
4) Finally, there are authoritarian regimes based on theocracy. The main intention of theocracy is to rule by God. This is seen when the religious leaders hold the power in the state. Rules and laws must be consistent with the religious doctrines.
Following WWII, the Labour and the Conservatives in Britain created a welfare state that was known as:
a. Collective Responsibility
b. Commonwealth
c. The Collectivist Consensus
d. Noblesse Oblige
e. Clause IV
c. The Collectivist Consensus
Following the 2009 election in Iran, the “Green Movement” led major protests demanding the right to vote for women.
True
False
False
British cabinet members must appear united on decisions even when they disagree. This is known as: A vote of confidence A vote of no confidence Collective responsibility Party loyalty Collectivism
Collective responsibility
What type of electoral system is used in Great Britain?
PR System
Plurality or “First Past the Post”
Single Transferable Vote
Plurality or “First Past the Post”
During Thatcherism, industries that were once state-owned, were sold into the private sector.
True
False
True
Iran faces economic sanctions from the international community due to:
a. its effort to develop nuclear technology outside of the scope of the IAEA
b. mistreatment of minority groups in the northwest
the government’s involvement with terrorist networks
c. rigged and and unfair elections for government leadership
d. the nation’s violation of human rights against journalists
a. its effort to develop nuclear technology outside of the scope of the IAEA
The tendency to trust in the state for security and provision of basic needs is called: cooptation patron-clientelism statism one-party state state corporatism
Statism
The Expediency Council in Iran is directly elected by the people.
True
False
False
Leaders can be voted out of office in democratic regimes
True
False
True
Since it was signed in 1215, the Magna Carta did what?
Created the Anglican Church
Created the House of Commons
Limited the power of the Prime Minister
Led to the English Civil War
Limited the power of the monarchs
Limited the power of the monarchs
Who has the power to remove The Supreme Leader in Iran? The Guardian Council The Majlis The Assembly of Religious Experts The president
The Assembly of Religious Experts
Great Britain is made up of these nations (choose all that apply): England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Ireland
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
The following political institutions are elected in Iran except for: the Majlis the Assembly of Experts the president the local councils the supreme leader
the supreme leader
A common law political and legal system is used in Great Britain, meaning:
a. It is a system that is based on inherited power
b. A system based on local customs and precedent, not formal legal codes
c. A system that is based on formal legal codes, not customs and precedent
d. It is based on a strong written constitution
e. Absolute sovereignty in the hands of the Crown
b. A system based on local customs and precedent, not formal legal codes
Which of the following statements below is true when it comes to the Crown in Great Britain?
The Crown is an unpopular institution in Great Britain.
The Crown is the head of state.
The Crown controls the economy.
The Crown controls the military.
The Crown is the head of state.
Great Britain's political power is most concentrated in: the monarchy the House of Commons the House of Lords city governments regional assemblies
the House of Commons
How often do elections occur in Great Britain?
a. every five years based on a fixed schedule
b. every four years based on a fixed schedule
c. all answer choices are incorrect
d. when an election is requested by the monarch, within a five year period
e. when an election is requested by the prime minister, within a four year time period
a. every five years based on a fixed schedule
The “Tories” in Great Britain are also known as: The Labour Party The Conservative Party The Lib-Dems The Scottish Nationalist Party Plaid Cymru
The Conservative Party
After the 1979 Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini installed which type of government? theocracy fascism one-party state democracy monarchy
theocracy
