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Intro to comparative politics midterm

front 1

What does comparative politics do?

back 1

Comparative Politics studies and compares political systems, institutions, and behaviors across different countries to understand how governments operate and why they differ

front 2

What distinguishes International Relations from Comparative Politics?

back 2

International Relations focuses on interactions between countries (war, diplomacy, trade), while Comparative Politics studies politics within countries.

front 3

What is the difference between correlation and causality?

back 3

  • Correlation: Two variables move together.
  • Causality: One variable directly causes a change in another.

front 4

What are dependent and independent variables?

back 4

  • Independent variable: Factor that causes change.
  • Dependent variable: Outcome affected by the independent variable.

front 5

What does Modernization Theory postulate?

back 5

Modernization Theory argues that as countries industrialize and become wealthier, they are more likely to develop democratic institutions.

front 6

What is state sovereignty?

back 6

State Sovereignty is the authority of a state to govern itself without outside interference.

front 7

What is centralization and decentralization?

back 7

  • Centralization: Power concentrated in national government.
  • Decentralization: Power distributed to regional or local governments.

front 8

What are federal vs. unitary states?

back 8

  • Federal state: Power shared between national and regional governments (e.g., United States).
  • Unitary state: Power mainly held by central government (e.g., France).

front 9

State integration vs. state devolution?

back 9

  • Integration: Strengthening national unity and central authority.
  • Devolution: Transferring power from central government to regional governments.

front 10

State autonomy and state capacity?

back 10

  • State autonomy: Ability of the state to act independently of social groups.
  • State capacity: Ability of the state to implement policies effectively.

front 11

What types of legitimacy describe the US and UK states?

back 11

The United States and United Kingdom primarily rely on rational-legal legitimacy (authority based on laws and institutions).

front 12

patriotism vs. nationalism?

back 12

  • Patriotism: Pride and love for one's country.
  • Nationalism: Strong identification with one's nation, sometimes prioritizing it over others.

front 13

How does mass immigration challenge national identity?

back 13

A: Immigration can introduce new languages, cultures, and religions that challenge traditional ideas of national identity.

front 14

Ideologies vs. political attitudes?

back 14

  • Ideology: A coherent set of beliefs about politics and government.
  • Political attitude: Individual opinions about political issues.

Example ideology: Liberalism – supports individual rights and limited government.

Example political attitude: Support for higher minimum wage.

front 15

Liberalism vs. Social Democracy?

back 15

  • Liberalism emphasizes free markets and individual freedom.
  • Social Democracy supports capitalism but with strong welfare programs and government regulation.

front 16

What is the populist challenge in France, the UK, the US, and Germany?

back 16

Populism refers to movements claiming to represent “the people” against political elites and institutions, often criticizing globalization and immigration.

front 17

How did Greece, Rome, and the Magna Carta shape democracy?

back 17

  • Athenian Democracy introduced citizen participation.
  • Roman Republic contributed republican governance and representation.
  • Magna Carta limited monarch power and promoted rule of law.

front 18

Presidential vs parliamentary systems?

back 18

  • residential: Separate executive and legislature (e.g., United States).
  • Parliamentary: Executive comes from legislature (e.g., United Kingdom).

front 19

Why do single-member districts lead to two-party systems?

back 19

According to Duverger's Law, winner-take-all elections discourage small parties because voters avoided “wasting” votes.

front 20

Civil liberties vs civil rights?

back 20

  • Civil liberties: Freedom from government interference (speech, religion).
  • Civil rights: Protections against discrimination.

front 21

What makes a developed democracy?

back 21

Free elections, rule of law, protection of rights, strong institutions, and high economic development.

front 22

British vs American Political Regimes

back 22

Similarities:

  • Democratic systems
  • Rule of law
  • Protection of civil rights

Differences:

  • United States has a presidential system and written constitution.
  • United Kingdom has a parliamentary system and unwritten constitution.

front 23

How do central banks help the economy?

back 23

Federal Reserve-type institutions control interest rates, regulate banks, and manage inflation.

front 24

Arguments for and against free trade?

back 24

  • For: economic growth, lower prices, efficiency.
  • Against: job losses, inequality, dependency.

front 25

Liberalism

back 25

Free markets and limited government.

front 26

Social Democracy

back 26

Capitalism with welfare protections.

front 27

Communism

back 27

State ownership of production

front 28

Mercantilism

back 28

Government promotes exports and economic nationalism

front 29

Gross Domestic Product

back 29

Product measures total economic output

front 30

Gini Index

back 30

measures income inequality

front 31

Human Development Index

back 31

measures quality of life

front 32

French Dirigism strengths

back 32

strong government planning

strategic industry support

front 33

Presidential vs parliamentary systems?

back 33

  • Presidential: one elected president leads the government, but the law-making branch is separate from them.
  • Parliamentary: Executive comes from legislature (e.g., United Kingdom).

front 34

German social market economy strengths

back 34

balance of markets

strong industrial base

front 35

Challenges of German social market economy stengths

back 35

high social spending costs

front 36

How did European imperialism shape colonies?

back 36

European imperialism imposed ethnic divisions and extractive economies that still affect political stability and development

front 37

Iran Development

back 37

Strong monarchy and religious influence before revolution

front 38

Mexico State Development

back 38

Colonial Spanish rule followed by revolutionary restructuring of the state

front 39

Political violence

back 39

institutional explanations argue weak or unfair institutions increase political violence

front 40

Revolution

back 40

mass uprising to overthrow government

front 41

terrorism

back 41

violence by small groups to create fear and influence politics

front 42

Russian Vs Chinese Revolution Similarities

back 42

communist ideology

peasant and worker support

revolutionary overthrow of old regimes

front 43

Russian Vs Chinese Revolution Differences

back 43

Russian revolution led by industrial workers and Bolsheviks

Chinese community revolution relied heavily on rural peasants guerrilla warfare