POLI 2053 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE Short answer 1 List a strength of monarchy stability easier to replace a bad ruler in a monarchy than in democracy 2 List a strength of liberal democracy generally more civil liberties than in a monarchy more flexible and adaptive 3 List a weakness of monarchy no transparency regarding government decisions 4 List a weakness of liberal democracy very difficult to replace a liberal democracy gone bad since the legitimacy of the system is based on the will of the people 5 Name one of the great theorists of monarchy Plato Aristotle Essay Understand the term institution and how it is used in comparative politics Institution a stable reoccurring pattern of behavior Something that has an impact societal force on law o Laws customs traditions regime times actual institutions a gentlemen s agreement and economic blueprints are all examples of institutions or things that define a nations institutions Comparativists study institutions to better understand how a nations society thinks and operates o Example of when its useful in the rigging of the voting system for the election of Bao Dai vs Ngo Dinh Diem Green considered an unlucky color in Vietnam Mass population of illiterate peasants chose between two sticks to vote a red Diem and a green Dai Since green is an unlucky color all chose Dai by selecting the red Understand the strengths and weaknesses of monarchy Strengths o It s easy to remove a corrupt monarch as it only takes 1 bullet to change the regime opposed to changing the entire will of the people o Government has more respect for property rights and will rarely try to take property away from you o Government concerned with long term goals as well as short o Stable dynastic regimes lasting many years o More economic security o Stability Weaknesses o Lack of accountability How can you try the monarch with a crime when he answers to no one but himself and maybe god depending on their religious beliefs o Dynastic marriages dynastic failure Intermarriage causes some kings to be incompetent mental issues so you have a monarch but he s incapacitated and isn t able to make decisions himself A childless monarchy leads to the possibility that the current dynastic reign will come to an end as another will take over o Lack of transparency in government Minutes are not recorded and most documents aren t published essentially a closed door bureaucracy Cahiers d etat books of the government Had never been published before until the regime of Louis XVI created mass controversy amongst the lower classes and estate as it showed the finances of the monarchy and the pay received o Lack of concern for the entire region more care shown to the immediate area housing the monarchy o National direction of economy is determined by the monarch Centralized economy whose success depends on the monarch Ex under Louis XV the economy was a key issue while under Louis XIV is was not o Single tier of government No real functioning legislature King and his cabinet of Ministers o Confessional state o Limited civil rights Lacking a writ of habeas corpus o Feudalism is a two edged sword State and church are hand in hand Ministers and Popes serving as civil servants drawing pay from the government Understand the strengths and weaknesses of liberal democracy Strengths o Everyone has a say vote participation in government This can be both a strength and weakness because if too much power is granted to the poor then you can end up with a democracy run by a poor and often illiterate crowd more on the weakness later o Accountability there is a legitimate way to remove elected officials in government because unlike a monarchy the official does not serve as the judge jury and executioner Leaders have to listen to the people o Legitimacy in leaders because they have been selected by the will of the people to serve in government Weaknesses will of the people o Difficult to start a regime change because it could require the change of the entire Very difficult as you have to persuade the people that prior decisions made by them were stupid and these old thought processes must change o Democracy can quickly turn into a totalitarian regime due to one elected official rising to the highest power and then turning the government to a totalitarian regime Abuse the system of voting with a fear mongering demagogue rising to power o Democracy is hard to define which makes it hard to defend o Fixed terms in office cause worry for short term goals with little care given to the long term o Eminent domain government can take your personal property if they choose o Demagoguery especially when appealing to the lower classes and promising them things that aren t attainable but they re usually not educated enough to know so o Issue of who to blame when things go wrong the government or the peoples who elected the official into government Understand and be able to discuss the role of religion as an institution in both monarchial and liberal democratic systems Religion is an institution that has a major impact on society and civilization We claim separation of church and state should effectively happen in a democracy however we know this isn t true o Most democracies are secular non confessional states but the role of religion in a societies voting base is actually quite large o Religious leaders are often pulled into politics even if it s kicking and screaming In Saudi Arabia the King has allied with clerics to establish stability within the region Iran and Turkey have dealt with conflict because their people are extremely religious but their government isn t o A strong possibility that this will lead to a rebellion in the future o Civil wars have occurred over such issues Wherever an alter is found there is civilization o More visible in some societies than others but it always hesitantly plays a political role Morality issues because of religious beliefs like birth control and Catholicism Understand why a monarchy collapses Monarchies as a rule are an enduring regime but in the wake of enlightenment the possibilities for rewriting a society by getting rid of or replacing the King through a revolution become appealing o Revolution is a creature of modernity Monarchies collapse because institutions start to fail and citizens lose faith in the system o Lose faith in monarch o Lose legitimacy of religion o King becomes a tyrant When the monarch church and government have lost legitimacy in your eyes revolution and