PSCI 1024 MIDTERM 2 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
authoritarianism - Answers -A form of government or regime that is non-democratic;
typically favors hierarchy and has closed, concentrated decision-making processes
authoritarian regime - Answers -a non-democratic regime that often practices one of
several forms of auhtoritarianism
personalistic dictatorship - Answers -a form of authoritarianism in which the personality
of the dictator is highlight (references charismatic legitimacy)
authoritarian persistence - Answers -The ongoing continuation of an authoritarian
regime, such that democratic transition does not take place
democratic breakdown - Answers -The process through which a democratic regime
partially or completely loses its democratic status
hybrid regime - Answers -A class of regime that appears to be neither fully democratic
nor fully authoritarian, such as electoral authoritarianism, delegative democracy, and
illiberal democracy
totalitarian regime - Answers -a form of authoritarian regime that aims to control
everything about the lives of its subject population, such as in the Soviet Union and
Germany under the Nazis
theocracy - Answers -An authoritarian state controlled by religious leaders, or a state
with very strict religious restrictions that uses religion as its main mode of legitimation
buearocratic-authoritarian regimes - Answers -A type of authoritarian regime, common
in Latin America and elsewhere in the mid to late twentieth century, that was associated
with control of the state more by a group of elites (often military) than by a single
individual leader
"party dictatorships" - Answers -A type of dictatorship characterized by a party instead
of an individual holding power (i.e. China)
illiberal democracy - Answers -A polity with some democratic features but in which
political and civil rights are not all guaranteed or protected
electoral authoritarianism - Answers -A name applied to situations in which
authoritarian regimes nominally compete in elections
democratic breakdown in the case of the Weimar Republic in Germany - Answers -an
example in the decline of democratic regimes leading to authoritarianism; other
examples include the rise of Pinochet in Chile and democratic reversals
, patterns of democratic decay and collapse - Answers -- authoritarianizing: partial losses
of freedom and increasingly suspect elections interspersed with moments of continued
political participation by the citizenry
- military overthrow: coup de etat or an elected ruler declaring a state of emergency and
martial law
why has authoritarianism persisted in Russia? - Answers -- Institutions, practices and
personnel, and the economy
- the elites in Russia continued to have impact and did not follow the rule of law
- the elites did not want to support democracy
- inequality and poverty arising from poor economic conditions: things getting worse,
inequality worsens and the economy fails
- restricted freedoms and access to information and education
--historical institutionalist explanations
--poverty and inequality / economic collapse (focus on "survival values" by the people,
vs. political rights and liberties)
--state weakness and failure
--political culture theories
--barriers to collective action (barriers to people being able to organize and work
together; see the definition in the margin)
Russia is a hybrid regime with both authoritarian and democratic components. One
party dominance is still exists with Russia with United Russia. Also, Russia is a semi
presidential system as compared to Mexico's presidential system. Russia is also a
federal state and the lack of independence in their judiciaries is similar. - Answers -
China is a single-party authoritarian regime. The president has a lot of power in the
executive but ultimately the National People's Congress (NPC) decides policy.
What kind of policies did Gorbachev enact to reform Russia? - Answers -Gorbachev
aimed to reform the economy without undermining communist party rule.
perestrokia: economic "restructuring"
glasnost: "openness" (open economy)
- relaxation of controls over public debate, less censorship, permit divergent viewpoints
democratization
- multicandidate elections, limited role of communist party in govt
new thinking in foreign policy
This freeing of the market and civil discourse didn't work, as there was a drop in the
output and national income, ultimately leading to more political change and revolution
authoritarianism - Answers -A form of government or regime that is non-democratic;
typically favors hierarchy and has closed, concentrated decision-making processes
authoritarian regime - Answers -a non-democratic regime that often practices one of
several forms of auhtoritarianism
personalistic dictatorship - Answers -a form of authoritarianism in which the personality
of the dictator is highlight (references charismatic legitimacy)
authoritarian persistence - Answers -The ongoing continuation of an authoritarian
regime, such that democratic transition does not take place
democratic breakdown - Answers -The process through which a democratic regime
partially or completely loses its democratic status
hybrid regime - Answers -A class of regime that appears to be neither fully democratic
nor fully authoritarian, such as electoral authoritarianism, delegative democracy, and
illiberal democracy
totalitarian regime - Answers -a form of authoritarian regime that aims to control
everything about the lives of its subject population, such as in the Soviet Union and
Germany under the Nazis
theocracy - Answers -An authoritarian state controlled by religious leaders, or a state
with very strict religious restrictions that uses religion as its main mode of legitimation
buearocratic-authoritarian regimes - Answers -A type of authoritarian regime, common
in Latin America and elsewhere in the mid to late twentieth century, that was associated
with control of the state more by a group of elites (often military) than by a single
individual leader
"party dictatorships" - Answers -A type of dictatorship characterized by a party instead
of an individual holding power (i.e. China)
illiberal democracy - Answers -A polity with some democratic features but in which
political and civil rights are not all guaranteed or protected
electoral authoritarianism - Answers -A name applied to situations in which
authoritarian regimes nominally compete in elections
democratic breakdown in the case of the Weimar Republic in Germany - Answers -an
example in the decline of democratic regimes leading to authoritarianism; other
examples include the rise of Pinochet in Chile and democratic reversals
, patterns of democratic decay and collapse - Answers -- authoritarianizing: partial losses
of freedom and increasingly suspect elections interspersed with moments of continued
political participation by the citizenry
- military overthrow: coup de etat or an elected ruler declaring a state of emergency and
martial law
why has authoritarianism persisted in Russia? - Answers -- Institutions, practices and
personnel, and the economy
- the elites in Russia continued to have impact and did not follow the rule of law
- the elites did not want to support democracy
- inequality and poverty arising from poor economic conditions: things getting worse,
inequality worsens and the economy fails
- restricted freedoms and access to information and education
--historical institutionalist explanations
--poverty and inequality / economic collapse (focus on "survival values" by the people,
vs. political rights and liberties)
--state weakness and failure
--political culture theories
--barriers to collective action (barriers to people being able to organize and work
together; see the definition in the margin)
Russia is a hybrid regime with both authoritarian and democratic components. One
party dominance is still exists with Russia with United Russia. Also, Russia is a semi
presidential system as compared to Mexico's presidential system. Russia is also a
federal state and the lack of independence in their judiciaries is similar. - Answers -
China is a single-party authoritarian regime. The president has a lot of power in the
executive but ultimately the National People's Congress (NPC) decides policy.
What kind of policies did Gorbachev enact to reform Russia? - Answers -Gorbachev
aimed to reform the economy without undermining communist party rule.
perestrokia: economic "restructuring"
glasnost: "openness" (open economy)
- relaxation of controls over public debate, less censorship, permit divergent viewpoints
democratization
- multicandidate elections, limited role of communist party in govt
new thinking in foreign policy
This freeing of the market and civil discourse didn't work, as there was a drop in the
output and national income, ultimately leading to more political change and revolution
