Political Systems of the World Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
This course provides an in-depth exploration of various political systems across the globe, examining their structures, functions, and historical development. Students will analyze major forms of government including democracies, monarchies, authoritarian regimes, and hybrids, comparing how different systems address issues such as representation, power distribution, lawmaking, and civil liberties. Emphasis is placed on understanding the cultural, social, and economic factors that influence political institutions, as well as the impacts of globalization and regional integration. Through case studies and comparative analysis, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the diversity and dynamics of political systems in different countries.
Recommended Textbook Cases in Comparative Politics Sixth Edition by Patrick H. ONeil
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14 Chapters
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420 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Sample Questions
Q1) Organizations that maintain a monopoly of violence over a given territory are called A) nations.
B) states.
C) governments.
D) regimes.
Answer: B
Q2) What are the major differences seen among parliamentary,presidential,and semi-presidential systems? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each model?
Answer: A good answer will note the important differences between the three types; parliamentary-party leader as prime minister,ceremonial head of state,prime minister and cabinet as primary formulators of policy; presidential-combining head of state and head of government,directly elected president,legislative checks on executive authority; and semi-presidential-prime minister and directly elected president sharing executive power.Advantages and disadvantages have to do with potential level of conflict between the legislative and executive branches.Presidential systems are more conflictual and thus more inefficient in policy making whereby parliamentary systems and semi-presidential systems have great harmony between legislative and executive branch and thus more policy-making power.
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Chapter 2: United Kingdom
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Q1) What factors led to the recent vote in favor of "Brexit" in the United Kingdom? Does Brexit represent a sharp break in UK-EU relations?
Answer: A good answer will note that the European migration crisis and the EU policy of free movement between member states were the two largest factors.However,the Brexit vote was not a sharp break from UK-EU relations,as the United Kingdom has been skeptical of the EU's single currency and agricultural subsidies since joining the EU.
Q2) The current mayor of London,notable for being the first nonwhite and Muslim mayor of a major Western capital,is
A) Sadiq Khan.
B) Boris Johnson.
C) Ken Livingstone.
D) Nigel Farage.
Answer: A
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Chapter 3: United States
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Q1) One major source of contention between the colonies and the British was the issue of A) slavery.
B) taxes.
C) control over the navigable rivers.
D) religious freedom.
Answer: B
Q2) What branch of the government did the framers of the Constitution intend to be the dominant one?
A) executive
B) judiciary
C) legislature
D) none; separation of powers were intended to make them equal
Answer: C
Q3) The financial crisis in the United States in 2008 was largely triggered by A) excessive military spending.
B) a sharp decline in the housing market.
C) the collapse in technology stocks.
D) the trade deficit with China.
Answer: B
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Chapter 4: France
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Q1) A strong centralized French state can be attributed in part to which facet of its geography?
A) significant obstacles to transportation
B) unprotected borders to the north and northeast,making it vulnerable to invasion
C) lack of mineral resources or productive farmland
D) relatively small size compared to other European countries
Q2) Which of the following statements about the use of referenda in French politics is accurate?
A) They are used only for electoral reform.
B) They have served to increase the power of local government.
C) A failed referendum to reform the upper house in 1969 led to de Gaulle's resignation.
D) They are never used for changes regarding the European Union.
Q3) What event immediately preceded and,in part,led to Hollande not seeking reelection in 2017?
A) the collapse of the Fifth Republic
B) his failure to pass referendums on constitutional reform
C) a scandal involving anti-Semitism
D) an unpopular reform of French labor laws
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Chapter 5: Germany
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Q1) Which of the following statements about East Germany is accurate?
A) It was a (forced) Communist ally of the USSR.
B) It was far more affluent than West Germany.
C) It was a founding member of the European Union.
D) It became a cornerstone of the NATO alliance.
Q2) The German policy of codetermination refers to
A) consulting both East and West Germans before implementing major policies.
B) coordinating EU policies and German national policies.
C) requiring union leaders comprise half of all seats on the corporate boards of private firms.
D) devolving authority for economic policies from the federal level to state policy makers.
Q3) Germany's current head of government is
A) Angela Merkel.
B) Horst Köhler.
C) Gerhard Schroeder.
D) Christian Wulff.
Q4) Describe the core principles of the Basic Law.How was it designed to mitigate the weaknesses and failures of past governments? How well has it succeeded?
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Chapter 6: Japan
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Q1) Which of the following statements about the Meiji Restoration is accurate?
A) Cabinet ministers held real power,and the position of emperor was reduced to a symbolic figurehead.
B) It involved creation of a Western-style parliament in which delegates had little real power.
C) Oligarchs furthered the restoration by eliminating all traces of native religions and embracing secularism.
D) Meiji foreign policy involved a shattering of treaties with the West while emulating Western policies.
Q2) The Meiji Restoration refers to the
A) nineteenth-century modernizing revolution in Japan.
B) eighth-century introduction of Buddhism to Japan.
C) seventeenth-century introduction of Christianity to Japan.
D) resurgence of Shintoism in feudal Japan.
Q3) Discuss the consequences of Japan's historical division of labor between political rulers (shogun,Meiji oligarchs,MacArthur,bureaucrats) and those who reign (emperor,parliament) for the autonomy and capacity of the Japanese state.
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Chapter 7: Russia
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Q1) What immediately replaced the rule of the last tsar when he was finally forced to step down in 1917?
A) noncommunist republican leadership
B) Lenin's Communist state
C) dictatorship sympathetic to Germany
D) antiwar prime minster and parliament
Q2) Civil society in Russia
A) remains strong as a legacy of Soviet rule.
B) has been repressed under Putin.
C) was weak under Soviet rule but has grown dramatically since then.
D) has built and supports a vibrant and diverse media.
Q3) One recent event that raised concerns over Russia's foreign policy was its intervention in
A) Azerbaijan.
B) Estonia.
C) Ukraine.
D) Bosnia.
Q4) How has the Communist Party developed in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union? How is the Communist Party of the Russian Federation different from other postcommunist parties in Eastern Europe?
Page 9
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Chapter 8: China
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Q1) Briefly discuss China's separatist challenges in both Tibet and Xinjiang.How might China's experiences with Hong Kong and Taiwan have influenced its policies toward these two regions?
Q2) In which of the following ways are the internal workings of the Chinese Communist Party similar to those of governments of advanced democracies?
A) Term limits are imposed on top leaders.
B) The party faces serious political opposition from several other popular parties.
C) Party membership is formally required for ascension to top posts.
D) Top party leaders are subject to election by popular vote restricted to party members.
Q3) Falun Gong refers to
A) the overseas Chinese community.
B) China's controversial one-child policy.
C) wealthy private entrepreneurs.
D) a government-banned Chinese meditation sect.
Q4) How has the political culture changed in China from pre-communist times to present day? How has China blended Confucian and Maoist (communist) ideology? What obstacles exist for studying political culture in China?
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Chapter 9: India
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Q1) Which of the following statements about the development of India's economy is accurate?
A) Efforts to transition from import substitution industrialization and toward social-democratic policies began in the 1980s and came into full swing in the 1990s.
B) Stamping out corruption and protectionism as barriers to economic growth is one of the major successes of the 1990s reform effort.
C) The license raj has only acquired more complexity and red tape in recent years,and will soon force the Indian National Congress to address a reform effort.
D) China's faster economic growth is credited in part to slower population growth than that of India,as well as to better education.
Q2) How did Rajiv Gandhi's policies differ from those of his mother,Indira Gandhi?
A) He proved more committed to economic liberalization.
B) He proved more willing to declare martial law in the face of public protest.
C) He demonstrated a greater affinity-and success-for tackling India's ethnic and social tensions.
D) He associated himself more with the poorer classes through populist campaigns.
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Chapter 10: Iran
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Q1) The Revolutionary Guard is
A) a paramilitary force controlled by the supreme leader.
B) the body that selects the supreme leader.
C) composed of religious leaders who have been approved by the government to preach.
D) the name given the opposition forces that oppose the supreme leader.
Q2) The perpetrators of the 1979 Iranian Revolution sought to create what kind of regime?
A) monarchy
B) theocracy
C) illiberal democracy
D) secular republic
Q3) Reza Shah Pahlavi is noted for his
A) efforts at top-down modernization in Iran.
B) attempt to make Iranian politics more consistent with Shia beliefs.
C) effort to create a secular and democratic Iran.
D) hostility toward the United States in favor of other Middle Eastern states.
Q4) Describe how Iran differs from other Middle Eastern societies in terms of Internet access.Why has this development largely failed to introduce more democratic elements into government?
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Chapter 11: Mexico
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Q1) Explain the rise of the PRD in the 1988 elections,including the primary issue leading to its splintering from the PRI,its success,and also the factors leading to its decrease in popularity among the Mexican middle class.
Q2) How has the Mexican state sought to prosecute the drug war over the last few decades? What is the primary drawback of this method of combating drug trafficking?
Q3) Mexican elections for the lower house of the legislature use which electoral system?
A) proportional representation
B) single-member district with plurality
C) single transferable vote
D) mixed proportional representation and single-member district
Q4) Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa were
A) peasant leaders of the Mexican Revolution.
B) indigenous independence leaders.
C) Spanish conquistadores of Mexico.
D) Texans who sought independence from Mexico.
Q5) Why could Mexico under the PRI be described as the "perfect dictatorship"? Was the stability it brought to Mexico worth the restriction of democracy?
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Chapter 12: Brazil
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Q1) Describe the three main problems of Brazil's economy-inflation,public debt,and unemployment.Has democratization had a positive effect on these problems?
Q2) Slavery ended in Brazil
A) because of a slave rebellion against whites.
B) only in the early twentieth century.
C) after a civil war similar to that of the United States.
D) peacefully,by royal decree.
Q3) The Estado Nôvo was
A) Brazil's first democratic republic.
B) a dictatorial regime led by Getúlio Vargas.
C) a breakaway coastal state.
D) a Communist dictatorship.
Q4) How has the issue of race evolved in Brazilian political discourse? What has been the effect of affirmative action programs introduced in the 1990s?
Q5) The first working-class president of Brazil was
A) Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
B) João Figueiredo.
C) Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
D) Dilma Rousseff.
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Chapter 13: South Africa
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Q1) The National Party took power in 1948 after a(n)
A) bloody battle with the English.
B) long war with blacks.
C) military coup.
D) election victory.
Q2) Why is civil society in South Africa described as "vigorous,effective,and [yet] shallow"? How has civil society developed in South Africa since apartheid? Describe at least two actors in civil society that show promise.
Q3) Which of the following was a controversial policy of President Thabo Mbeki?
A) his policy regarding HIV/AIDS
B) his involvement in African peacekeeping
C) his bitter opposition to Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe
D) his attempt to ban opposition political parties
Q4) Under apartheid,Bantustans were
A) internationally recognized black states.
B) squatter settlements of blacks within major South African cities.
C) "independent" black states created by South Africa but not recognized by any other country.
D) banning orders,which prevented some South Africans from voting.
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Chapter 14: Nigeria
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Q1) Divisions among Nigeria's political parties are primarily based on A) ethnicity.
B) ideology.
C) history.
D) constitutional mandate.
Q2) Nigeria's Fourth Republic has been characterized by A) successive peaceful democratic elections.
B) successive military coups.
C) the establishment of a parliamentary legislative system.
D) devolution of authority to regional legislatures.
Q3) Nigeria's current legislative-executive system may be classified as A) presidential.
B) parliamentary.
C) prime ministerial.
D) semi-presidential.
Q4) Nigeria's Muslims reside predominantly in which region?
A) the south
B) the west
C) the east
D) the north
Page 16
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