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AP Comparative Government & Politics
Review AP Comparative Government & Politics
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Britain
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Type of Government Parliamentary Democracy & Sovereignty Unitary
Fusion of Powers Constitutional Monarchy
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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
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Major Political Parties
Conservative Liberal-Democratic Labour
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Type of Elections Single-Member Plurality “First Past the Post”
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Legislative Body Parliament House of Commons House of Lords
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Important Leaders Clement Attlee Margaret Thatcher Tony Blair
Gordon Brown David Cameron
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Judiciaries Supreme Court-No judicial review Common Law
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Major Cleavages Racial & religious differences Urban vs. rural
Regional- English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh
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Revolutions, Coups, Wars
Gradual change over time
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Recent Economic Trends
Austerity measures Cutting the welfare state
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Current Policy Issues Economy Big Society Devolution
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Bureaucracy Whitehall Quangos Administers the government Far-reaching
Semi-autonomous government organizations
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Military Independent Stays out of policy
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The Russian Federation
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Type of Government Asymmetrical Federal State- Not balanced
Semi-Presidential System (has P.M.) Soft Authoritarianism
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Current Leaders President Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Dmitry Medvedev
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Major Political Parties
United Russia Dominant Party Communist Party Opposition A Just Russia Fake?
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Type of Elections Proportional Representation Direct Election Duma
Presidency Must win > 50%
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Legislative Body Federal Assembly of Russia Federation Council Duma
Upper House Duma Lower House More Powerful!
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Important Leaders Joseph Stalin Mikhail Gorbachev Boris Yeltsin
Dmitry Medvedev Vladimir Putin
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Judiciaries Constitutional Court Operates on civil law
Sides with the executive
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Major Cleavages Muslim v. Orthodox Slavophile v. Westernizer
Chechnya v. Russia Slavophile v. Westernizer
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Revolutions, Coups, Wars
Fall of the USSR (1991) 1993 Constitutional Crisis Chechen Wars
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Recent Economic Trends
Increased Privatization “State Capture”
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Current Policy Issues Adoption Tension Recovering from Recession
Global Reception
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Bureaucracy Patron-Client Connections Nomenklatura
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Military Traditionally played a role in politics More independent now
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People’s Republic of China
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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
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Type of Government Unitary State Parallel Hierarchies
Control in Beijing Parallel Hierarchies Chairman President Head of CMC All Xi!
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Current Leaders President Xi Jinping Premier Li Keqiang
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Major Political Parties
Chinese Communist Party …that’s all!
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Type of Elections No national level elections
Some regional & local elections
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Legislative Body National People’s Congress
Only legislative house in PRC Legislation can be debated, but is rarely defeated
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Important Leaders Mao Zedong Deng Xiaoping Hu Jintao Xi Jinping
Revolution Leader Deng Xiaoping Hu Jintao President Xi Jinping
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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
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Major Cleavages Urban v. Rural Tibet v. PRC
Technocrat v. Old School Commies
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Revolutions, Coups, Wars
Chinese Civil War 1917 – 1949 1980s student rebellions Tiananmen Square
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Recent Economic Trends
Increased but limited privatization Exponentially growing economy Industrialization & globalization
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Current Policy Issues International relations Improving economy
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Bureaucracy Immense in size Cadres
Person who exercises authority in a communist-party state Around 40 million
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Military People’s Liberation Army Central Military Commission
World’s largest military force Central Military Commission Runs military
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Nigeria
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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
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Current Leaders President Goodluck Jonathan
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Major Political Parties
People’s Democratic Party Conservative Dominant party Multiparty system
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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
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Legislative Body National Assembly Senate House of Representatives
Upper house 3 per state House of Representatives Lower house Number apportioned by population
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Important Leaders Yakubu Gowon Olusegun Obasanjo Dictator
Prevented Biafran secession Olusegun Obasanjo Military dictator Popularly elected president
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Judiciaries Supreme Court State Courts Becoming a major player
English common law Shari’a law
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Major Cleavages Ethnic lines North v. South Oil developers
Muslim v. Christian Oil developers
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Revolutions, Coups, Wars
Many, many, many coups over the years 1960 – 1999 Nigerian Civil War Biafran independence squashed through starvation
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Recent Economic Trends
Rentier state Oil Unfair distribution of wealth
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Current Policy Issues Islamism in the north Maintaining economic ties
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Bureaucracy Prebendalism
Leads to corruption in the bureaucracy & elected officials
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Military 1960 – 1999 Effectively controlled government & the state 1999 to present Leaders were purged More independent
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Mexico
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Type of Government Federal Republic Separation of Powers
Checks & Balances
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Current Leaders President Enrique Pena Nieto
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Major Political Parties
PRI Dominant party Centrist PAN Right of center PRD Left of center
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Type of Elections Party threshold in legislature = 2%
Proportional representation Congress FPTP Direct election President
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Legislative Body Congress of the Union Bicameral Senate
Upper Chamber of Deputies Lower
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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
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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
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Major Cleavages North v. South Amerindians v. Europeans
Who gets the help? Amerindians v. Europeans Technicos v Old School
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Revolutions, Coups, Wars
Mexican Revolution 1917 Constitution War on Drugs Ongoing Human cost is high Economic cost is high
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Recent Economic Trends
Import Substitution Industrialization NAFTA Implications?
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Current Policy Issues War on Drugs! Immigration Corruption
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Bureaucracy Expansive Parastatals Upper level = “confidence employees”
Lower level = stable Parastatals
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Military Independent Largely fighting against cartels Corruption
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Iran
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Type of Government Theocracy Elements of democracy
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Current Leaders Supreme Leader President Ayatollah Khameni
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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Major Political Parties
Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran VERY CONSERVATIVE Others are legally recognized but many are banned & persecuted
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Type of Elections President Assembly of Religious Experts
Direct election Closely regulated by the Supreme Leader Assembly of Religious Experts No transparency
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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
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Important Leaders Ayatollah Khomeini Mohammad Pahalavi
Leader of Iranian Revolution Mohammad Pahalavi Last Shah Mohammad Khatami Fought for some liberal ideas
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Judiciaries Shari’a law Punishments are harsh & severe
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Major Cleavages Liberal Muslims v. Ruling Party Green Movement-2009
Against Ahmadinejad
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Revolutions, Coups, Wars
Iranian Revolution 1978 – 1978 Hostage crisis Green Protests 2009 elections
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Recent Economic Trends
Rentier state Implications? Sanctions- started to lift Economy is better
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Current Policy Issues Maintaining the ruling party
Youth/women Nuclear proliferation Power? Bombs? Israel
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Bureaucracy Grown since the Revolution Dominated by clerics
Enforces Islamic guidelines
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Military Several branches Revolutionary Guard
Controlled by the Ayatollah Revolutionary Guard Protects Islamic ideals within the country
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