Poli 316 exam 3

Absolutism

Monarchy with unchecked tsar power.

Patrimonialism

State treated as personal property by ruler.

Orthodoxy

Alignment of the Church with state authority.

Ivan the Terrible

Consolidated power in 16th century Russia.

Boyars

Russian nobles directly answerable to the tsar.

Peter the Great

Modernized Russia by adopting Western practices.

St. Petersburg

Baltic port secured by Peter the Great.

Catherine the Great

Invited German immigrants for modernization efforts.

Crimean War

Conflict (1853-1856) for a warm water port.

Alexander II

Liberated serfs to mobilize a new army.

Russo-Japanese War

Embarrassing defeat for Russia (1904-1905).

Democratic Centralism

Centralized power in the Politburo of USSR.

Five-Year Plans

Centrally planned economy replacing market incentives.

Quota System

Goods distributed based on state-determined needs.

Competitive Authoritarian Regime

Elections occur but real competition is suppressed.

Illiberal Democracy

Elections without constitutional protections.

Media Restriction

Control of media to suppress dissent.

Legal System Weaponization

Legal structures used to target opposition.

Vladimir Putin

Dominant political figure since 1999.

Medvedev

Served as prime minister under Putin.

Constitutional Amendment 2018

Reset Putin's presidential term limits.

Emotional Legitimacy

Governance based on shared common enemy.

Limited Pluralism

Minimal diversity in political representation.

Dmitry Medvedev

Swapped roles with Putin 2008-2012.

Castling

Role exchange between Medvedev and Putin.

Presidency

Dominant power in Russian political system.

Decrees

Presidential orders with force of law.

Security Council

Advisory body bypassing parliament.

State Council

Advisory body with significant influence.

State Duma

Lower house, rubber-stamp legislature since 2012.

United Russia Party

Dominates State Duma with over 72% seats.

Bicameral Parliament

Consists of Federation Council and State Duma.

Federation Council

Upper house, largely symbolic with limited power.

State Duma Elections

450 members elected via mixed electoral system.

Online Voting

Introduced in 2024 for elections.

Dominant Party Regime

Political system with controlled opposition parties.

CPRF

Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

SRZP

Just Russia party in Russian politics.

LDPR

Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

Rodina

Nationalist party in Russia.

Party of Growth

Liberal-conservative political party.

Civic Platform

Oligarch-backed political party.

Judiciary

Subordinate to executive, targets political enemies.

Procuracy

Prosecutor system used against dissenters.

Constitutional Court

Defers to president on executive authority.

Territorial Units

85 regions including republics and oblasts.

Chechnya

Declared independence in 1991, faced reassertion.

Oligarchs

Wealthy individuals controlling major industries.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Jailed for tax fraud, Yukos Oil executive.

Sergei Magnitsky

Died in custody, led to U.S. sanctions.

Alexei Navalny

Anti-corruption figure facing government crackdowns.

Resource Curse

Economic reliance on oil and gas exports.

Rent-Seeking

Economic behavior discouraging innovation and competition.

Ukraine War Effects

Highlighted industrial weaknesses due to resource dependency.

Autocracy

A political system controlled by a single ruler.

Personalistic Autocracy

Rule centered around a single leader's personality.

Partisan Autocracy

Dominance of a single political party in governance.

Ming Dynasty

First modern state in China (1368-1644).

Absolutist Monarchy

Centralized power held by a monarch.

Centralized Military

Military control for internal order and conquest.

Noble Privileges

Rights held by aristocrats, revoked by Ming.

Agricultural Innovations

Techniques like terrace farming and crop rotation.

Confucian Bureaucracy

Merit-based system allowing gentry mobility.

Manchu/Qing Dynasty

Foreign rulers from Manchuria (1644-1911).

Unequal Treaties

Agreements favoring foreign powers over China.

Republican Period

Era of conflict post-Qing collapse (1911-1949).

Warlordism

Fragmented control by military leaders in China.

Communist Revolution

Mao's rise to power post-1949.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's failed collectivization and industrialization effort.

Cultural Revolution

Mao's campaign against perceived capitalist elements.

General Secretary

Most powerful position in the Chinese Communist Party.

Xi Jinping

Current General Secretary since 2012.

Anti-Corruption War

Xi's campaign to eliminate political rivals.

Xi Jinping Thought

Ideology combining Marxism with Chinese traditions.

Belt and Road Initiative

China's global development strategy through infrastructure.

Zero-COVID Policy

Strict measures justified by population density concerns.

Autocratic Subtypes

Categories of autocratic governance styles.

Succession Uncertainty

Risks associated with personalist leadership transitions.

One Country, Two Systems

Failed policy in Hong Kong for autonomy.

Basic Law

Hong Kong's constitutional document overridden by Beijing.

Taiwan's status quo

Majority prefer current independence over unification.

Pro-independence movement

Growing support for Taiwan's independence from China.

Flashpoint

Potential conflict center between U.S. and China.

PLA response

Military reaction to Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit.

Día de los Muertos

Mexican festival celebrating deceased with altars.

Cultural appropriation

Nationalists adopted traditions for identity formation.

Indigenous beliefs

Traditional practices blended with Catholicism in Mexico.

Day of the Dead parade

First official parade held in Mexico City, 2016.

Porfirio Díaz

19th-century president reflecting U.S.-Mexico ambivalence.

Zimmermann Telegram

1917 proposal influencing U.S. entry into WWI.

Economic dependency

79% of Mexico's exports go to the U.S.

Systemic corruption

Widespread corruption affecting Mexico's political landscape.

Ayotzinapa 43

43 students disappeared in 2014 protest incident.

Inter-American Commission

Investigated flawed evidence in Ayotzinapa case.

Public outrage

Massive response to the Ayotzinapa students' disappearance.

Truth commission

2022 report on Ayotzinapa murders and collusion.

Colonial legacy

Spanish rule created social divisions in Mexico.

1917 Constitution

Attempted state reform separating church and state.

Social reforms

Abortion decriminalization and gay marriage legalization.

Inequality in Mexico

Continues despite social and legal reforms.