In this topic we will explore how we can define . As a reminder, political regimes defines the set of rules and norms that determine the political system. The regime defines who has the power, and that has significant implication in the lives of the citizens of a nation. ๐ฅ
Regimes are either democratic ๐๐พโโ๏ธ or authoritarian ๐ One of the first things you need to be able to do is define those terms.
Democratic ๐๐พโโ๏ธโThis regime type involves the selection ๐ณ๏ธ of government officials through โ๏ธ, a balance between the principle of majority rule and the protection of minority interests, and constitutional ๐ limitations on government actions.
Authoritarianism ๐โA regime type defined by the rule of single 1๏ธโฃ leader, a small group of people, or a single political party 1๏ธโฃ or institution.
Keep in mind that regimes are defined on a range of authoritarian and democratic, as a spectrum. Which means that there is a lot "in between" and several variations of each. You will explore more of that when we study each core country individually. There are several factors such as history, culture and economic system, which are individual to every nation, that define theirย politicalย regime.ย
Key Characteristics
You need to understand the characteristics of bothย democracy ๐๐พโโ๏ธ andย authoritarianism ๐, so I've created charts to help.
๐๐พโโ๏ธ Democratic characteristics
Free and fair elections.
Competitive elections.
Government-developed policies and procedures that guarantee due process, accountability, and .
Political and civil rights are possessed by all.
.
Elected government officials who exercise authority over the government.
.
๐ย Authoritarian characteristics
Limited political participation.
Limited autonomy of society from state control.
Limitations placed upon political opposition.
Little or transparency.
Types of Authoritarian Regimes
Authoritarian regimes can include illiberal โ democracy or hybrid โ regimes, one 1๏ธโฃ-party systems, theocracies ๐, totalitarian governments ๐ต๏ธ, and military ๐๏ธ regimes. You will need to know the difference between these regimes.
orย is an authoritarian regime in which elections are held, but elected officials often use the electoral process to keep themselves in power. In other words it's an authoritarian regime where elements of "democracy" are present โโ
Aย only allows one party to run for government office 1๏ธโฃ
Theocraciesย are governments in which religious leaders run the government. There is no separation or church and state ๐
Totalitarian governments are regimes that seek to control nearly every aspect of public and private life ๐ต๏ธ
Military regimes are authoritarian governments in which a military leader runs the government ๐๏ธ
Types of Democratic Regimes
Democracy does not consitute one single type of regime. For a regime to qualify as a democracy it must follow all the characteristics mentioned above. But, countries have developed different regimes that embrace the idea that the people should be involved in the polical processes. These are some different types of democracy:ย
ย is a regime in which the head of state is chosen through the legislative branch (the parliament). The head of state and the head of government are different officials.
Aย ย is a regime in which the President is chosen through the election process by the people. In this regime, the president is the the head of state and the head of government. ๐ฉโโ๏ธ
Inย ย the power is shared between central and regional governments. both the central and local governments have their own responsibilities and rules and are also directly voted by the people.
ย are s type of system that citizens are directly involved in the decision-making process. This process usually occurs through , which is when the government requires the population to vote an issue matter.ย - Example: One of the most popular referendums took place in the UK when the government asked the people to vote in favor or against theย BREXITย (the exit of Britain from the European Union). ๐ช๐บ
ย ย is a type of regime in which the people select officials to represent their own interests. There are mechanisms for accountability in representative democracies, such as and recall. โ
๐กRemember: theย head of stateย is the ceremonial figure that represents the entire nation and is involved in international affairs. Theย head of governmentย is in charge of the day-to-day tasks of a government and it holds executive powers.ย
So what about our countries of study?
UK ๐ฌ๐ง = Consolidated ๐๐พโโ๏ธ
Russia ๐ท๐บ = ๐, Illiberal or hybrid regime
Iran ๐ฎ๐ท = ๐,
Nigeria ๐ณ๐ฌ = ๐, military and more recently hybrid
Mexico ๐ฒ๐ฝ = ๐, hybrid
China ๐จ๐ณ = ๐, one-party system
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