AP Gov Unit 1 Test

Don't worry if you got the questions wrong, the point is to compare your answer with the actual answer to see if you got all the concepts mentioned in the answer

State

State

The organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a given territory; a set of political institutions to generate and execute policy regarding freedom and equality.

Regime

The fundamental rules and norms of politics, embodying long-term goals regarding individual freedom and collective equality, where power should reside, and the use of that power.

Government

The leadership or elite in charge of running the state.

Nation

A group of people with a common political identity that desire self-government.

What is the UK basically? (regime type, head of gov and state, nations, source of power and authority, legitimacy and external, internal forces)

• Regime: Constitutional Monarchy

• Government of the UK: Rishi Sunak, conservative majority

• Head of Gov- Rishi Sunak, Head of State: King Charles III

• Gets power and authority from the legislature, popular support, the crown, parties, devolved power to multiple parliaments which allowed the regime to maintain stability (constitutional reforms)

• Legitimacy: High, rational-legal

• Substantive, consolidated democracy

• Nations: Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, also serve as political cleavages

What is Mexico basically?(regime type, head of gov and state, nations, source of power and authority, legitimacy and external, internal forces)

• Regime: Multiparty, presidential, federal illiberal democracy but moving towards a substantive democracy

• Judiciary is very weak

• Head of State and Gov- A.M. Lopez Obrador, MORENA party

• Nations: Mestizo, Amerindian and more ( a mix of different cultural identities)

• Transition of power from military rule and single-party dominance to multiparty republics

• Legitimacy: High, rational-legal

• External/Internal forces such as corruption, cartels, religious/regional/ethnic divisions, NAFTA, maquiladora zones

• Power and authority comes from religion (mainly Catholicism), legislative parties, popular support

What is Nigeria basically? (regime type, head of gov and state, nations, source of power and authority, legitimacy and external, internal forces)

• Regime: Presidential, federal illiberal democracy

• Head of state and gov- Muhammadu Buhari, APC

• Nations: 23+ including Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo

• Legitimacy: Low, traditional

• Transition of power from military rule and single-party dominance to multiparty republics

• External/Internal forces such as corruption, religious, Boko Haram, MEND, illegal oil production, foreign direct investment, rentier state

• Power and authority comes from militaries and parties

What is Russia basically? (regime type, head of gov and state, nations, source of power and authority, legitimacy and external, internal forces)

• Regime: Russian Federation, authoritarian

• Head of state- Vladimir Putin

• Nations: Ukrainians, Tartars, Cbechyans, unspecified others, Russians

• Power and authority comes from Putin, legislature, popular support, (power) the political elite’s backing of a strong president in Russia, creating a managed “democracy” with election rules favoring one party

• Legitimacy: High, charismatic

• External/Internal forces are war on Ukraine, corruption, LGBTQ+ rights, soviet state issues

What is Iran basically? (regime type, head of gov and state, nations, source of power and authority, legitimacy, external, internal forces)

• Regime: Theocratic regime based on Shiite Islam

• Head of state- Ali Khamenei

• Head of secular government: Ebrahim Raisi, conservative

• Nations: Kurd, Azeri, Persians and others

• Almost all citizens are Muslim but 90% practice Shiite Islam

• Legitimacy: Low, charismatic

• Power and authority comes from supreme leader, religion, military

• Power was also affected in the transition from dictatorial rule in Iran to a theocracy based on Islamic Sharia law after the 1979 revolution

• External/Internal forces such as women’s rights, corruption, green movement in 2009, closed off from global economy

What is China basically?

• Regime: People’s Republic of China, socialist, authoritarian

• Head of state- Xi Jingping

• Nations: Han (majority), Tibetans, Uyghur and more

• Power and authority comes from the CCP and military as the CCP’s control over China’s military provided power and authority to maintain regime stability

• Legitimacy: Very high, charismatic

• External/Internal forces such as attempted protest movements

Democratization

The transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime

• Can be stalled or reversed, policy changes regarding election rules and civil liberties can support or impede democratization

• Corruption inhibits democratization but independent judiciaries can reduce corruption while protecting individual liberties and civil rights

• Consensus among competing cultural and political groups about governmental policies associated with democratic and economic development can advance democratization and make it sustainable

Factors of Democratization

Fair, competitive and transparent elections, citizen participation in policy making, suffrage for adult citizens, transparency, protected civil liberties, equal citizen treatment and rule of law

Characteristics of Authoritarian Regimes

Elites exercising political power over state, little citizen input, no constitutional responsibility of leaders to the public and restrictions on civil liberties

Characteristics of Democratic Regimes

Civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, civilian control of the military, free fair and regular elections

Sources of Power

Religion, popular support, military forces, constitutions, political structures and legislatures

• How a regime chooses to use its power in support of sovereignty is determined in large part by its democratic or authoritarian characteristics- democratic regimes can maintain sovereignty using less power than authoritarian regimes

Sources of authority

Constitutions, Military forces, political structures, legislatures

What is a regime change?

Changes in the way the state is organized, rules and institutions are replaced and it can be gradual or sudden

What is a change of government?

Change in people or parties that occupy the institutions of the state, usually changes more often, can be peaceful or violent

What are the types of regime change?

Coup d'etat, revolution, reform

What is a coup d'etat?

Forced takeover of governing power, typically led by political elites

What is a revolution?

Removal and long-term replacement of a form of government, usually involves the masses, can be violent or peaceful

What is a federal system?

A system of government in a state in which significant powers are given to sub-national or regional governments (state governments, etc.)

What is a unitary state?

A system of government in a state in which all political authority is in its central or national government

What is devolution?

Power is distributed to regional or sub-national governments or are created

What is political legitimacy?

Political legitimacy is the right to rule that is determined by their own citizens.

• Can increase the power of a regime and government and confers authority

Factors that maintain legitimacy

Peaceful resolution of conflicts, peaceful transfer of power, reduced governmental corruption and economic development

• Devolution and delegation, by promoting policy innovation, matching policies to local needs, improving policies through competition, increasing political participation, checking central power and allowing better representation of religious/ethnic/minority groups

Factors that reduce legitimacy

Corruption, reduced electoral competition, serious problems (poor economy, social conflicts, etc.)

• Devolution and delegation of power to regional governments, reduces it by making contradictory policies, potentially making policy implementation more complicated and inefficient, allowing inequality between regions, increasing competition for resources and exacerbating ethnic and local tensions

• Questions about the integrity of elections can lead to protests that may weaken legitimacy and any ongoing democratization processes

What is political stability?

The ability of the state to maintain sovereignty

What can reduce political stability?

• Not combatting corruption

• State responses to separatist groups, violence, protests, drug trafficking, religious differences, mass protest movements, internal reform movements, varied state responses to mass protest movements that oppose governmental policies or their equal enforcement

• If states increase political stability, they can attract foreign investment

• Internal reform pressure from citizen protest groups and civil society can lead to the creation of new political institutions or policies to protect civil liberties, improve transparency, address election fairness and media bias, limit corruption and ensure equality under law

What are the types of legitimacy?

• Traditional, based on traditions, ceremonial and often based in religion

• Charismatic, based on the personality of an individual leader or group. Often unstable and short-lived, leans towards authoritarian regimes

• Rational-legal, based on a system of well-established laws and procedures. Supported by institutions and citizens and they obey their leaders because they believe in the rules that allow their leaders to be in office

• Some sources are nationalism, popular elections, constitutional provisions, traditions, governmental effectiveness, economic growth, ideology, religious heritage and organizations and the dominant party’s endorsement

What is code law?

Based on a comprehensive system of commercial, civil and criminal codes

What is common law?

• Based on tradition

What are types of authoritarian regimes?

• Illiberal democracies or hybrid regimes

• One-party states

• Theocracies

• Totalitarian governments

• Military regimes

What are some factors that indicate the degree of democracy?

• Rule of law

• Principle that the state should be governed by law and not arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials

• The degree of state influence on or control of the media

• Degree and practice of free and fair elections

• Degree of transparency of governmental decision making

• Nature of citizen participation in the government

• Independence of government branches are more likely in democratic regimes

What is democratic consolidation?

• The process by which a democratic regime matures in terms of election rules, separation of powers and protection of civil liberties- making it unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock