AP Comparative Government Iran FRQ

Identify one way members of the Gaurdian Council are selected. Describe two specific functions of the Guardian Council.

• 6 appointed by Supreme Leader and another 6 appointed by Chief Justice

• approve all laws

• approve all candidates of Assembly of Experts, Parliament, and the President

Define political legitimacy. Describe on source of political legitimacy for the office of the president in Russia. Describe a different source of political legitimacy for the office of the Supreme leader in Iran.

• political legitimacy is people accepting the government's right to rule

• political legitimacy in Russia: elections

• political legitimacy in Iran: Sharia law--jurist guardianship (Komeini's interpretation)

Define the term grassroots movement. Identify a grassroots movement in Iran in the last 20 years and explain the governments reaction to this movement.

• grassroots movement is a movement driven by the politics of ordinary citizens

• Green Revolution is a grassroots movement that occurred in 2009. The citizens protested about voting fraud. The government ordered Basij to control the protesters and it led to bloodshed.

Explain the difference between a hybrid regime and an illiberal democracy. Which on is Iran? Explain why.

• hybrid regime is a government with both democratic and authoritarian elements but an illiberal democracy is procedural democracy.

• Iran is an hybrid democracy because they combine church and state. There is a theocratic government based off of church and a democratic government.

5a: Describe political competition and transparency is context of politics.

• political competition is when there is more than one political group for election

• transparency is allowing people to see what the government is doing

5b: Explain the function of Iran's Guardian Council in the electoral process. Explain the function of Mexico's Institute of Federal Elections (IFE) in the electoral process.

• Guardian Council approves all candidates going into Assembly of Experts, Parliament, and President

• IFE functions to bring count votes and present results to the country

5c: Compare transparency in the electoral process in the post-1979 Iran with transparency in the electoral process in post-1985 Mexico.

• more transparency in the electoral process in Mexico than Iran

• IFE allowed for no voting fraud

5d: Compare political competition in the electoral process in the post-1979 Iran with political competition in the electoral process in the post-1985 Mexico.

• political competition grew in Mexico since 1985 but not in Iran

• there is no political completion in Iran because the Guardian Council won't allow for a candidate why doesn't believe in theocracy

6a: Describe two formal powers of Iran's Supreme Leader.

• can appoint 6 people for the Guardian Council

• ultimate power over Majles

6b: Identify two official position that China's head of state typically holds today.

• the two official positions that China's head of state holds today is 1) being the president of the PRC and 2) head of military of commissions

6c: Describe one similarity in the sources of authority of Iran's supreme leader and of China's head of state.

• both have constitutional sources of power. China's constitution is from 1982 and Iran's condition is from 1979

6d: Describe one difference in the sources of authority of Iran's supreme leader and of China's head of state.

• in China, political experience is a source of authority

• in Iran, religion is a source of authority (Velayat-e-faqi)

7a: Identify the ideological movement that created the revolution in both China and Iran.

• in China, the ideological movement that created the revolution was Communism

• in Iran, the ideological movement that created the revolution was combination of nationalism and Shia Islamic

7b: Explain a similarity in the economic shift both Iran and China took following their respective revolutions.

• both Iran and China nationalized and made the economy state-governed

7c: Define the term reactionary.

• a person who wants to restore political, economic, and social institutions that existed in the past

7d: What specific policies did China put in place to repress reactionaries?

• Cultural Revolution

• Capitalist Roaders + Red Guard

7e: What specific policies did Iran put in place to repress reactionaries?

• religion with education

• Revolutionary Guards

• strict enforcement of Sharia law