AP Comparative Government & Politics Review AP Comparative Government & Politics

Britain

Type of Government Parliamentary Democracy & Sovereignty Unitary Fusion of Powers Constitutional Monarchy

Current Leaders Prime Minister Queen Deputy P.M. Head of Government Theresa May- Conservative Queen Head of State Queen Elizabeth II Deputy P.M. Nick Clegg Liberal-Democrat

Major Political Parties Conservative Liberal-Democratic Labour

Type of Elections Single-Member Plurality “First Past the Post”

Legislative Body Parliament House of Commons House of Lords

Important Leaders Clement Attlee Margaret Thatcher Tony Blair Gordon Brown David Cameron

Judiciaries Supreme Court-No judicial review Common Law

Major Cleavages Racial & religious differences Urban vs. rural Regional- English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh

Revolutions, Coups, Wars Gradual change over time

Recent Economic Trends Austerity measures Cutting the welfare state

Current Policy Issues Economy Big Society Devolution

Bureaucracy Whitehall Quangos Administers the government Far-reaching Semi-autonomous government organizations

Military Independent Stays out of policy

The Russian Federation

Type of Government Asymmetrical Federal State- Not balanced Semi-Presidential System (has P.M.) Soft Authoritarianism

Current Leaders President Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Dmitry Medvedev

Major Political Parties United Russia Dominant Party Communist Party Opposition A Just Russia Fake?

Type of Elections Proportional Representation Direct Election Duma Presidency Must win > 50%

Legislative Body Federal Assembly of Russia Federation Council Duma Upper House Duma Lower House More Powerful!

Important Leaders Joseph Stalin Mikhail Gorbachev Boris Yeltsin Dmitry Medvedev Vladimir Putin

Judiciaries Constitutional Court Operates on civil law Sides with the executive

Major Cleavages Muslim v. Orthodox Slavophile v. Westernizer Chechnya v. Russia Slavophile v. Westernizer

Revolutions, Coups, Wars Fall of the USSR (1991) 1993 Constitutional Crisis Chechen Wars

Recent Economic Trends Increased Privatization “State Capture”

Current Policy Issues Adoption Tension Recovering from Recession Global Reception

Bureaucracy Patron-Client Connections Nomenklatura

Military Traditionally played a role in politics More independent now

People’s Republic of China

Type of Government Communist Party-State Political Branch CCP-guanzi +merit Executive Branch State Council Legislative Branch National People’s Congress Judicial Branch Supreme People’s Court Military Branch PLA

Type of Government Unitary State Parallel Hierarchies Control in Beijing Parallel Hierarchies Chairman President Head of CMC All Xi!

Current Leaders President Xi Jinping Premier Li Keqiang

Major Political Parties Chinese Communist Party …that’s all!

Type of Elections No national level elections Some regional & local elections

Legislative Body National People’s Congress Only legislative house in PRC Legislation can be debated, but is rarely defeated

Important Leaders Mao Zedong Deng Xiaoping Hu Jintao Xi Jinping Revolution Leader 1949 - 1976 Deng Xiaoping Hu Jintao President 2003 - 2013 Xi Jinping

Judiciaries Civil Law Criminal Law Supreme People’s Court Lawsuits have been increasingly filed and won Criminal Law Justice is swift and harsh Supreme People’s Court No judicial review Oversees lower courts Appeals death sentences

Major Cleavages Urban v. Rural Tibet v. PRC Technocrat v. Old School Commies

Revolutions, Coups, Wars Chinese Civil War 1917 – 1949 1980s student rebellions Tiananmen Square

Recent Economic Trends Increased but limited privatization Exponentially growing economy Industrialization & globalization

Current Policy Issues International relations Improving economy

Bureaucracy Immense in size Cadres Person who exercises authority in a communist-party state Around 40 million

Military People’s Liberation Army Central Military Commission World’s largest military force Central Military Commission Runs military

Nigeria

Type of Government First Republic Lots of autocracy in- between Westminster model Lots of autocracy in- between Fourth Republic Federal republic Presidential system Strong executive Checks & balances

Current Leaders President Goodluck Jonathan

Major Political Parties People’s Democratic Party Conservative Dominant party Multiparty system

Type of Elections Direct election for president One candidate Majority of yes votes Two candidates Majority More than two candidates Highest number No less than ¼ of votes in at least 2/3 of the states Single-member plurality to National Assembly

Legislative Body National Assembly Senate House of Representatives Upper house 3 per state House of Representatives Lower house Number apportioned by population

Important Leaders Yakubu Gowon Olusegun Obasanjo Dictator Prevented Biafran secession Olusegun Obasanjo Military dictator Popularly elected president

Judiciaries Supreme Court State Courts Becoming a major player English common law Shari’a law

Major Cleavages Ethnic lines North v. South Oil developers Muslim v. Christian Oil developers

Revolutions, Coups, Wars Many, many, many coups over the years 1960 – 1999 Nigerian Civil War Biafran independence squashed through starvation

Recent Economic Trends Rentier state Oil Unfair distribution of wealth

Current Policy Issues Islamism in the north Maintaining economic ties

Bureaucracy Prebendalism Leads to corruption in the bureaucracy & elected officials

Military 1960 – 1999 Effectively controlled government & the state 1999 to present Leaders were purged More independent

Mexico

Type of Government Federal Republic Separation of Powers Checks & Balances

Current Leaders President Enrique Pena Nieto

Major Political Parties PRI Dominant party Centrist PAN Right of center PRD Left of center

Type of Elections Party threshold in legislature = 2% Proportional representation Congress FPTP Direct election President

Legislative Body Congress of the Union Bicameral Senate Upper Chamber of Deputies Lower

Important Leaders Miguel Hidalgo Zapata & Pancho Villa Lazaro Cardenas Independence Zapata & Pancho Villa Mexican Revolution Lazaro Cardenas PRI power! El Dedazo Vicente Fox PAN president Felipe Calderon

Judiciaries Roman & Napoleonic tradition Federal & state courts Amparo Civil law Federal & state courts Amparo Citizens ask for a writ of protection claiming their rights have been violated by the government

Major Cleavages North v. South Amerindians v. Europeans Who gets the help? Amerindians v. Europeans Technicos v Old School

Revolutions, Coups, Wars Mexican Revolution 1917 Constitution War on Drugs Ongoing Human cost is high Economic cost is high

Recent Economic Trends Import Substitution Industrialization NAFTA Implications?

Current Policy Issues War on Drugs! Immigration Corruption

Bureaucracy Expansive Parastatals Upper level = “confidence employees” Lower level = stable Parastatals

Military Independent Largely fighting against cartels Corruption

Iran

Type of Government Theocracy Elements of democracy

Current Leaders Supreme Leader President Ayatollah Khameni Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Major Political Parties Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran VERY CONSERVATIVE Others are legally recognized but many are banned & persecuted

Type of Elections President Assembly of Religious Experts Direct election Closely regulated by the Supreme Leader Assembly of Religious Experts No transparency

Legislative Body Assembly of Religious Experts Guardian Council Elections every 4 years 8 year terms Conservative clerics Guardian Council Appointed by Supreme Leader Can veto any legislation

Important Leaders Ayatollah Khomeini Mohammad Pahalavi Leader of Iranian Revolution Mohammad Pahalavi Last Shah Mohammad Khatami Fought for some liberal ideas

Judiciaries Shari’a law Punishments are harsh & severe

Major Cleavages Liberal Muslims v. Ruling Party Green Movement-2009 Against Ahmadinejad

Revolutions, Coups, Wars Iranian Revolution 1978 – 1978 Hostage crisis Green Protests 2009 elections

Recent Economic Trends Rentier state Implications? Sanctions- started to lift Economy is better

Current Policy Issues Maintaining the ruling party Youth/women Nuclear proliferation Power? Bombs? Israel

Bureaucracy Grown since the Revolution Dominated by clerics Enforces Islamic guidelines

Military Several branches Revolutionary Guard Controlled by the Ayatollah Revolutionary Guard Protects Islamic ideals within the country