Comparative Politics

Post - Midterm

South Korea government type

Democracy

Asian Tigers

Booming economy in South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore

1993 Kim Jong Sam:

South Koreans first elected civilian president

• followed 32 years of authoritarian military rulers

• right wing dictators supports free market

Sygmann Rhee 1948-1960

right wing authoritarian leader

faced Kim in Korean war 

replaced by park chung he who was assassinated by a military coup

South Korea 1960/70s fear

worried south may attack the north

Park Chung He

architect of economic miracle

• north Korea attempted to assonate

• U.S. didn’t like him much either but the U.S. feared getting drawn into another Korean war (while we were in Vietnam) we were “terrified”

South Korea 1968

South Korea set up formal ministry of unification

US response = if the south engages, they will pull out troops from South Korea (This would result in the north entering the country)

South Korean presidents are elected for how long of terms?

5 yeras

Kim De Jung (1925-2009)

president from 1998-2003

• elected by popular vote for single 5 year term

• awarded Nobel peace prize in 2000

• at ceremony he thanked Jesus Christ

• he was once captured by South Korean agents in Japan (‘73)

• he was bound and put into a boat and Americans saved him before he was thrown over. (this was when he gave his life to Christ)

• he was near death 5 times; in jail for 6 years; 40 years of house arrest

• Lived and will continue to live with “God on his side”

• won for efforts to eventually reunite Koreans in reconciliation, he was going to reunify and get rid of the DMZ

How long is the Korean Chief of state elected for?

5 year terms

Prime minister - how do they get in position

appointed by the president and approved by the legislature 

other name for Korean legislature

National assembly

Park Guan Hi

She is the 11th president (born in 1952)

• Conservative

• out now but was in jail (house arrest)

• raised by her mother who was a Buddhist 

• turned catholic in college 

• wanted to go to theology but was not accepted 

• lost faith by the time she returned to politics 

• started term in 2013

South Korean missionaries

2nd largest evangelical nation

Youn Suk Yeol

term started: March 2022 (people’s power party)

• Born 1960

• elected when both candidates were disliked 

• compared to trump/Hillary election

Doug Bondow

January 2025 -Out of office by April 4 2025- shortest serving directly elected president 

• in 6 hours he declared and abandoned martial law 

• special forces troops were deployed to national assembly

• impeached and indited 

Korea December 13 1981

G. L. Wisel soldiers by movement

Korea June 3 2025

presidential election, Lee Jae Myung (don’t need to know his name)

almost assassinated a year ago

Religion in Korea

Both north and south were Christian

4 major Christan persecutions (1839, 1846, 1866, 1867)

Sept. 20 = Remembrance Day for 103 common martyrs

Pyongyang = Jerusalem of the east

North Korea = officially banned religion 

South Korea = sending bibles over DMZ in helium balloons 

Pew research: south Korea has no religious majority but largest is Christian at 29% non-religious is 46% buddies is 23%

Korean Population rate

replacement rate is 2.1

South= 0.72

Japan= 1.2

US= 1.72

Korean economics

South- free market (14th)

North- Central planning (last in list)

South Korean Economics

Mid 1980/90s - double digit increase in exports per year

10-20% mineral resources in south 

Study charts in Notes

On Korean Economics 10/29 Notes

US troop # in south Korea since 1950

28,500 used to be 50-100k

Fidel Castro replaces

Batista

Batista

(1901-1973)

1933-January 1, 1959

right wing dictator

• military guy

• pro business

• pro US - #1 ally

• not perfect, repressive dictator 

• anti communist

• Cuba= tourist attraction 

Raphael Cruz

pro-Castro dictator till he finds out how bad he is

Cuba Capitol and connections

Havana

Moscow and Mexico

July 26th movement

wants to overthrow Batista

200 rebels

Mancala Amry Baracs in Santiago Cuba crushed by Batista army 

Roul (born 1931) Castro’s brother escaped 

Castro sentenced to 15 years, served 11 months then went to Mexico

Castro in Mexico

1953-57

Came back to Cuba

February 24, 1957- New York times Herb Mathews visits

Lee Harvy Oswald - Cuba connection

supposedly Castro Knew and was asked to help in JFK assassination. They never said yes but knew the plot.

Herb Mathews

misled and gave Castro new light and a chance 

Castro January 26th movement post mexico

seized power when Batista fled on January 1 1959

Castro returned from Mexico on Granma Yaught

Meyer Lansky - Jewish mob boss also fled that day

Castro takes Havana 

Castro comes to US for 12 days

US pres: Eisenhower VP: Nixon

Communist parade in NY?

April 17- major speech at national press club

Feb 1959- promised elections for Cuba

April 19- Speaks to TV show “Meet the press” NBC “Democracy is my ideal” “I am not a communist”

1 on 1 interview with Nixon: Nixon said in confidential eyes only report either Naïve of communism or under communist discipline and had less developed ideas of how to run a country 

April 1959-Nov. 1960: convinced he is lying- Roul (brother) = hardcore communist

Bay of Pigs

IKEs plan, JFK enacts because Ike waited till after election (1960-61).

Plan was to have 4 air strikes and then come in with 13-14 trained Cuban exiles. Plan was for movement to grow as approaching Havanna to kill Castro.

3-4 airstrikes were cancelled, and Castro goes full soviet.

Justin Trudeau

Castros lovechild son

Che Guvera

involved and was Fidel’s chief executioner, had a fallout and fled to Bolivia. Eventually was captured and killed

La Cabana

torture chamber

Castro comes to US to go to UN

embraces Krushev

Cuban Missile crisis

1962. US spy plan caught sights of Russian missiles in Cuba. JFK released the images and the country became scared. Did not want to attack first and appear as aggressor. Castro and Guevarra were willing to be Marxist Martyrs. It would have ended in full nuclear war and Cuba would have been gone, Castro was ok with it.

Khruschev was the only Soviet leader removed from power, the rest died.

US Quarantine on Cuba (aka blockade)

Cuba Socialism

• Central planning by council of state, socialism to communism

• common ownership of means of production

• owns and operates all forms of industrial enterprises

• Party apparatchiks- “yes” men

• 75% percent of exports is sugar and tobacco- dependent on weather

Perestroika

need to return to strict Marxist orthodox

Free and fair elections for Cuba = trade with Cuba again

US only all other trade with them

Tourism

would be bigger, no private rentals, monitor the whereabouts of foreigners

about 1 million visitors each year

Good things in Cuba

1) Universal healthcare

• bad technology

• no aspirin or gloves (blamed on embargo)

• exports Dr.

• high abortion “low infant mortality”-self reported

2) education

• high literacy -self reported

• Cuban Code of the Child (develops communist personality

• Elien Gonzalez- group of people who escape - father calls back

3) no mass starvation

• food grows everywhere

• But death: 15-18% shot/purge/executed

• Show trials

• 40-100 thousand drown

• No more religion, banned but easing up with newer leaders

6 Principles of America

1) Declaration and unaliable rights

2) Natural Law

3) Constitution and Madison’s Middle ground

4) Ordered Liberty

5) Freedom, faith, learning

6) Conservative, Progressive, libertarianism

Declaration

July 4, 1776

Wanted unanimous vote

Jefferson wrote

• a Virginian

• “Said I was obnoxious, suspect, and unpopular, Jefferson was otherwise”

• good writer

wrote in rented house in Phili; 1 day-2weeks

goes to congress- 86 changes, Jefferson wanted original words

Declaration Points

hold these truths to be self evident

all men are created equal

unailable rights (life liberty, pursuit of happiness) -should peruse happiness for next life not this one

purpose of gov is to secure these rights

prudence is a virtue

Maybe shouldn’t abolish if long lasting but have the right to

Signers: 56- all religious

86 signs declaration - 6 sign both

Conservatism

what men and women have discovered because they are based in experience of mankind. Rely on history and presidents

does not = religious but needs religious foundation

just because a majority make a law does not mean it is correct

Enduring Moral Oder: biblical law not just everything from past

Natural Law MLK

cute from letter from Birmingham jail letter

11 principles of Reagan Conservatism

1) Freedom

2) Faith

3) Family

4) Sanctity of Human life

5) American Exceptionalism

6) Founders Wisdom

7) Lower taxes

8) Limited Government

9) Peace through strength

10) anti-communism

11) belief in individual

Faith and Freedom

twin beacons that brighten the American sky- without one it is harder to navigate because the sky is not as bright

All other rights are founded on this one principle

right to life

Reagan favor of gov

Subsidiary

better for limited government. If private can do, they should

Start private and local

Conservative v Liberal

Value freedom but not at the expense of order

Value freedom but not at the expanse of equality- leave room to progress

James Madison wanted

right to conscience in

Amendments

5

14

10

5- cannot self incriminate

14- can’t be deprived life liberty and due process

10- powers not said in constitution go to state

13- ban slavery

15- vote cannot be infringed by state

16- power to lay and collect income tax

18/21- liquor ban passes and lifted

19- women can vote

22/25- not elected more that twice/more than 10 years

26- vote at 18

Madisons middle ground

need common ground between central authority and localism

American Founding

Ordered Liberty

Russel Kirk: one of the founders of modern conservatism

T.S. Elliot - permanent things

Need to have ordered liberty which is freedom grounded in faith. Need good self-governance of a nation.

Final Tsar (how long was Russia run by Tsar)

Sir Nickolas II

1603-1917

Bolsheviks 1917

seized power- Lenin, Traski, Stalin

executed the entire royal family

formal start of Ussr

consisted of Russia and 14 republics

Soviet Union time

1917-December 25, 91

Bad things about Soviets

lost most in WW2

7x abortion rate (Stalin had to ban because it was so bad) (Khruschev relegalized and it returns to previous levels) (Putin puts limits on it and bans adopting Russian kids in other countries)

Parashoika and Grassnost under Gorbachev

aimed to make the country better for the people and transparency —- restructuring/opening

Gorbachev lifted article 6 in soviet constitution

article 6= that the constitution is the supreme law of the land

Soviet leaders

Lenin, Stalin, Gorbachev, Pavlov

Russia Leaders

Yeltsin, Putin, Medvedev, Putin

Moscow presidents

Yeltsin and Gorbachev

Yeltsin has election and they have elections for president of Russia but not soviets. He was elected by 57% of the vote.

1991- trying to push Gorbachev out

Boris Yeltsin time in office

91-99- he was a good student but a troublemaker

Last soviet leader

Gorbachev- outlived Yeltsin- they were born the same year and both grew up under Stalin

Yeltsin called the USSR “horror house” why?

He liked the US and agreed with Reagan

Great Purge/Terror - consolidated Stalin’s power

Lenin - Red Terror - eliminated enemies of the state

Gulag that was built by Lenin and used by Stalin

KGB/GRU

Committee on State Security - military intel who carried out executions

CPSU

Communist party of the soviet union

-needed to take down from within

-pushed for reform by Gorbachev

Gorbachev 1991

attempted coup on him showing that he is weak and then Yeltsin has full control - soviet flag lowered and replaced by Russian flag

G calls bush on Christmas day and says he is resigning

Russian constitution

1993

2-4 year terms - Putin doesn’t follow

Russian Duma

tried to impeach Yeltsin but failed. He stepped down and Putin came next

Yeltsin fired cabinet 5 times

select the prime minister which is basically vp

Putin

elected 53%, took over for 3 months till actual election

popular and builds up military

comes out of KGB and makes nukes

Putin Religion

Russian Orthodox

Very traditional, no lgbtq/same gender relationship - can’t adopt

pope blesses his invasions

wants to bring back royal family

wants to be moral compass for the world

He said collapse of soviet is greatest geopolitical catastrophe of 20th century

started unifying greater russia

Putin reelection

71% supposed to be out in 2008 but he won’t till 2030 at least

Che Guvera Article

People have t-shirts of him and don’t know who he was or what he stood for. Cult for Che has developed. He had a desire to kill the enemy; he liked to see violence when he witnessed Guatemala overthrowing their government. He oversaw the execution of trials of people during the Batista overthrow. Killed his relative. He killed a peasant for wanting to leave. “if in doubt kill him.” While he was in charge of La Cabana there were at least 179 people, over 500 between January and June after he left. Ordered people to rob banks and tried to regulate men and women and alcohol. Had concentration camps for people who were “unfit”- religious/homosexual/aids. Admittedly was communist and studying Russian. Made sure Moscow was ready to go to war with us for nuclear warheads to be in Cuba.

Conservatism requires a religious Foundation articles

Conservatives defend religion by and large. Most signers of declaration and constitution were religious

The Federalist No. 51- checks and balances between departments of government by James Madison article

Power needs to be part of the checks and balances in the government to provide for the majority and minority

The Natural laws of sex article

feeling that nothing you do matters when there are no rules. Broken society of multiple parents and lost siblings to abortion. Younger are scared to get married because it may not work out as seen in parent’s lives. Heart and bodies should be united, can't try and separate them. There are natural laws of sex and how it should be saved for marriage between a man a woman, each having their own roles

Putin deplores collapse of USSR

he said it was a disaster and as a free nation they will decide what is successful and what is not.

Putin address to the Nation

people are still threats to Russia something about freedoms of Russians that are outside of Russia

Countries that left the soviets

Lithuania 90

Latvia 90

Georgia 91

Estonia (Now till Kyrgyzstan = within days of each other)

Ukraine

Belarus

Moldova

Azerbaijan

Uzbekistan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan 91

Armenia 91

Turkmenistan 91

Kazakhstan 91

Russia (never formally declared)