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There are two primary forms of Government in use throughout the world: Authoritarian Democratic

There are two primary forms of Government in use throughout the world: Authoritarian Democratic. Authoritarian. a single individual or small group provide leadership and make decisions Leaders are typically self-appointed

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There are two primary forms of Government in use throughout the world: Authoritarian Democratic

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  1. There are two primary forms of Government in use throughout the world: • Authoritarian • Democratic

  2. Authoritarian • a single individual or small group provide leadership and make decisions • Leaders are typically self-appointed • Leaders cannot be easily replaced (trouble often ensues at succession) • citizens cannot question or speak out against the leaders

  3. Authoritarian regimes • Government controlled press • Censored media • No, or staged, elections • Unequal, or no, legal rights • Courts and military under political control • select groups (Minorities) often persecuted

  4. Examples • Monarchy • Totalitarian/Dictatorship • Aristocracy • Theocracy • Communism

  5. China: a case study • the autocratic Communist Party has flirted with a “democracy” over the years, but begins to squirm at even the hint of spontaneity in elections • in 1980 it first experimented with election polls, but heated campaigns on campuses led to official intervention and the exclusion of outspoken candidates • six years later the government again excluded independent candidates, prompting student protests • the Tiananmen Square unrest and subsequent crackdown all but ended attempts at electoral reform for many years • in 2003 a more liberal atmosphere encouraged middle class citizens to take part in elections but even then media coverage was stifled • in its parliament government policies are not debated, projects like the Three Gorges dam, with its serious environmental concerns, are routinely rubber-stamped

  6. Democracies • Free press • Free media • Equal legal rights • Courts free of political control • Minorities respected

  7. Democratic systems • controlled by the people • leaders are elected by citizens who have specific rights and responsibilities • leader’s time in office (term) is limited • citizens can question and speak out

  8. Liberal Democracies • not all democracies are made equal: the rights enjoyed by Canadians are not necessarily shared by the peoples inhabiting other “democracies” • in Peru, for instance, Alberto Fujimori was elected president during the 1990s • despite being chosen by the people, he ruled as an autocrat and ended up in prison for human-rights abuses and corruption • the new president has twice been part of a military coup against the government

  9. Turkey: a case study • a working Muslim democracy in a region of autocratic governments • Prime Minister Erdogan, who has an autocratic reputation, just won a third consecutive victory in parliamentary elections (winning 50% of vote) • there is much talk of rewriting Turkey’s constitution which could mean allowing more freedom of speech and protection of minority rights (e.g. Kurds) • others fear Erdogan would like to shift the nation from its parliamentary system to a presidential one (allowing him more powers) and push a religious agenda • will Turkey be a “liberal democracy” ?

  10. Greece Roots of democracy: • in Athens, citizens would vote for their leaders • in the Greek polis citizens- free adult males- had political rights (the vote) and the responsibility of civic participation in government (public debate, civic duties) • women, foreigners and slaves had no political rights • the idea of “Civic virtue” became important to many ancient Greek philosophers • the antithesis to Athenian democracy was the militaristic oligarchy of Sparta

  11. Rome • before evolving into a dictatorship, the Romans developed advanced forms of representative government • citizenship in the Roman Republic meant voting (in the Assemblies), paying taxes, and performing military service • citizens (civis) included Patricians (a small but powerful nobility), Plebeians (the majority), and select foreigners • the Ancient Romans alsodeveloped the “rule of law” common to all citizens throughout the realm

  12. England • while other nation-states emerge as centralized monarchies, in England democratic traditions and rule by law appear • in the first step toward limited government, Britain’s King John is forced to recognize his power was not boundless • in 1215 he signed the Magna Carta which proclaimed certain liberties for citizens: a key step leading to the rule of constitutional law No confiscating horses or firewood • with England’s 1689 Bill of Rights, parliamentary rights are strengthened and limits placed on the powers of the sovereign • rules for freedom of speech were set forth and rightsprotected through trial by jury

  13. Iroquois • Iroquois Confederacy orLeague was established to create and maintain peace among the Six Nations • the Iroquois peoples established the oldest living participatory democracy • women played a central role in this democracy: nominating the men to the leadership positions (sachems) • the society rested on the recognition by all of the sovereignty of a common law

  14. America • speaking out against the divine right of kings, John Locke claims the power to rule is granted by the people • his “contract” stated that rulers can expect obedience from those they rule only if they respect and uphold the people’s rights • angry at being taxed by a British parliament in which they had no vote and, therefore, no voice, America’s colonists declare their independence • the new nation will recognize that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed • that citizens possess certain unalienable rights, among them Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness • and the right to vote

  15. Canada • The Constitutional Act: 1791 • Britain grants each province an elected assembly • the real power however rested in the hands of the governor and the appointed executive council • Canada therefore had representative government; but not responsible government • The British North America Act: 1867 • Canada becomes both a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy • The Military Voters Act: 1917 • all women who had a relative serving in the Armed Forces also obtained the right to vote (all women could vote by 1918) • 1948 • the last of the property qualifications were removed, and Asian Canadians gained the right to vote • 1960 • the vote was extended to include Indians (Aboriginals) on reserves • 1982 • the Charter of Rights and Freedoms grants all citizens the right to vote

  16. Examples • Constitutional Monarchy: The power of the monarch is limited by the constitution (Canada; Japan) • Parliamentary: - the leader (the Prime Minister of Canada) – leader of majority party in House of Commons becomes PM • Republic: - the leader (the President) is elected separately (U.S.)

  17. Authoritarian vs Representative Democracy

  18. Extent of Government Power • the powers of government are NOT limited • government is limited by the consent of the people

  19. Control of Power • POWER is held by an individual or small group (junta or ruling clique) • POWER is exercised by elected officials who are chosen by ballot

  20. Civil Liberties and Rights • rights are NOT guaranteed in practice • liberties and rights are guaranteed by a constitution

  21. Elections • Elections do not offer a choice. Single party system is in place • Elections offer a choice of candidates with differing ideas, usually in a two- or multi-party system

  22. Rule of law • government does NOT always follow rule of law • government and people exist under the rule of law

  23. Maintaining Order • Force, or threat of force, is used frequently to maintain control • orderly demonstrations are legal and protests are guaranteed by law • force is used only to restrain the disorderly

  24. Which System is Superior? • in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, the U.S. had succeeded in conveying the view that democracy and economic prosperity went hand in hand • by 2011 the rise of China and the difficulty the West continues to have in recovering from the financial crisis have broken the link between prosperity and freedom

  25. The Arab Spring • modern communication technology has made it easier to rebel against authoritarian governments, as seen in Tunisia and Egypt • however, it has also made it tougher to build enduring, deeply rooted democratic politics to replace them • communication technology has only served to create a fragmentation of public space in existing democracies: people are no longer part of a single public debate because the Internet and social media allow us to consume only the information that confirms our biases Mohamed Bouazizi Ann Coulter

  26. Female Political Dynasties • in modern times there has been a growing number of females assuming dynastic authority (in many democracies as well) • these wives, sisters and daughters have come to power or assumed top political jobs following in the footsteps of male relatives • WHY? Family name confers brand recognition and provides contacts and financial contributions, all equalling success Yingluck Shinawatra Aung San Suu Kyi Sonia Gandhi Cristina Fernandez

  27. Authoritarian Rulers: unpopular? • few are willing or able to challenge the authoritarian leader • but despite criticism for corruption and human rights abuses, he remains popular for promoting stability and economic growth • his supporters share in the nation’s oil, gas and mineral wealth

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