3.8-9 Political and Social Cleavages

What are cleavages?

internal divisions that structure societies

How do cleavages affect the state?

they affect voting behavior, party systems, and informal political networks

How can states benefit from cleavages?

they can use it to strengthen legitimacy and hold onto power

examples of economic cleavages

class, urban/rural, wealth, elites/masses, education, region

examples of social cleavages

religion, ethnicity, class, gender, urban/rural, age, education, region

how states can hold onto power through cleavages?

1. it can reward certain people for their support of the gov

2. use existence of cleavage to justify increasing or maintaining gov control

3. increase legitimacy by handling a cleavage conflict well

how can cleavages undermine regime stability/legitimacy?

1. creates conflict

2. undermines sense of national identity

3. weaken ability to enforce law and order

4. creates polarization

how can states address the negative consequences of cleavages?

1. use a federal system or devolution

2. promote national identity to unify state

3. proportional representation in elections or quota system

4. civil rights acts to prevent certain groups from discrimination

5. use force to repress cleavage

6. welfare programs to reduce income inequality

7. job training programs to lessen wealth gap

8. infrastructure projects to diminish rural deficiencies

what is the impact of cleavages?

1. creates separatist movements (China, Iran, Nigeria, Russia, UK)

2. groups demand more autonomy (UK, Mexico)

3. politicization of ethnic or religious identities (Nigeria)

how to cleavages concern democratic regimes?

their legitimacy and unity

how are authoritarian regimes concerned with cleavages?

their stability and control

how do democratic regimes address cleavages?

devolving power, allowing autonomy, bringing groups into the political system

how do authoritarian regimes address cleavages?

repress and coerce population, provide illusion of inclusivity

cleavages in UK

class identity

• self-identification depending on working or upper-class

religious differences

• protestants vs catholics (N. Ireland)

racial tensions

• white vs non-Euro minorities

national groups

• Scottish + devolution

cleavages in Nigeria

ethnic

• more than 250 ethnic groups that don’t get along

  • ex: Hausa + Igbo

religion

• north: predominantly Muslim

• rest: Christian

cleavages in Mexico

ethnic

• indigenous population + majority mestizo population

  • Zapatista Army of National Liberation

cleavages in Russia

ethnic

• ethnic Russians vs non-Russians

  • wars in Chechnya 1990: prevent Muslim separatists from breaking away from Russia.

  • Putin chose Ramzan Kadyrov to suppress movement (authoritarian ruler)

cleavages in China

ethnic and regional

• Han and other minorities

  • repressing the unrecognized minority separatist groups (Uyghurs)

cleavages in Iran

religion

• Muslim shi’a majority vs sunni minority

ethnic

• majority Persians vs minority Azeris and Kurds

what are institutional cleavages

division within or between parts of the government or between different levels

• Scotland and the UK Parliament