AP Comparative Government - 2025 Cheatsheet Notes

China

• Source of Power (SoP): Authoritarian (CCP)
• Government: Unitary
• Authority: CCP
• Change: Sudden
• Legitimacy: Revolution and economic stability
• Head of State (HoS): President
• Head of Government (HoG): Premier
• Term Limits: President has no term limit, Premier has 10-year term limit.
• Legislature: Unicameral chamber (National People's Congress - NPC)
• Judiciary: People’s Court system, CCP-ruled; no true judicial independence.
• Political Culture & Participation:
  • Underdeveloped civil society.
  • Vast resources allow internal sustainability.
  • Patron-clientelism.
  • Communism.
  • Rule by law (as opposed to rule of law).
  • No opposition to the party is allowed.
  • No direct elections of the President.
  • Protests are banned.
  • Media is limited by a firewall.
  • Separatist movements exist.
• Party and Electoral System:
  • Local people’s offices elected every 5 years.
  • Elected officials choose NPC members.
  • One-party system (CCP).
• Political & Economic Changes:
  • Least privatization of natural resources.
  • Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have more liberal economic policies.
  • Low class mobility and vast inequality.
  • Rapid industrialization.
  • State ownership of resources.
  • Limited international market participation.

Iran

• Source of Power (SoP): Theocracy/Authoritarian
• Government: Unitary
• Source of Power: Religion
• Authority Change: Dictator → Religious Leaders
• Change: Sudden
• Legitimacy: Revolution and Religion
• Head of State (HoS): Supreme Leader (SL)
• Head of Government (HoG): President
• Term Limits: Supreme Leader has a 10-year term limit, President has two 4-year consecutive terms.
• Legislature: Unicameral chamber - Majlis
• Judiciary: Sharia Law (Qanun); No true judicial independence.
• Political Culture & Participation:
  • Extremely limited civil society.
  • Politics intertwined with religion.
  • Some overlap with fascism.
  • Rule by law.
  • Elections for president/parliament exist, but choice is limited.
  • Restricted protests.
  • Revoking media licenses occurs.
  • Separatist movements exist.
• Party and Electoral Systems:
  • Elections every 4 years for president and parliament
  • One party (IRP - Islamic Republican Party)
• Political & Economic Changes:
  • Privatization
  • Unequal access to abortion/
    gender quotas for education and politics
  • Brain drain

Mexico

• Source of Power (SoP): Popular Support
• Government: Constitutional Democracy, Emerging Democracy
• Government: Federal
• Authority: Authoritarian → Democratic Parties
• Change: Sudden
• Legitimacy: Revolution and Constitution
• Head of State (HoS): President
• Head of Government (HoG): President
• System: Presidential System
• Term Limits: Single 6-year term limit
• Legislature: Bicameral Chamber
• Judiciary: Federal, State, and Supranational Courts with transitioning judicial independence.
• Political Culture & Participation:
  • Developed civil society.
  • Geographical barriers lead to regionalism.
  • Patron-clientelism.
  • Populism.
  • Rule by law (flawed democracy).
  • Elections for president/legislature.
  • Protests used to be condemned.
  • Some separatist movements.
• Party and Electoral Systems:
  • Elections every 6 years for president and national legislature.
  • Plurality + Proportional Representation.
  • Single/three-member districts.
  • Multi-party system.
  • Neo-corporatist state.
• Political & Economic Changes:
  • Migration south → north, rural → urban.
  • North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and maquiladoras.
  • PEMEX (state-owned oil company) → government controls all stages of oil distribution.

Nigeria

• Source of Power (SoP): Military Forces
• Government: Constitutional Democracy, Emerging Democracy
• Government: Federal
• Authority: Authoritarian → Democratic Parties
• Change: Sudden
• Legitimacy: Independence and Constitution
• Head of State (HoS): President
• Head of Government (HoG): President
• System: Presidential System
• Term Limits: Two 4-year consecutive term limit
• Legislature: Bicameral Chamber
• Judiciary: Constitutional and Sharia Laws with transitioning judicial independence.
• Political Culture & Participation:
  • Underdeveloped civil society.
  • Religious conflicts have impacted political culture.
  • Neoliberalism.
  • Mostly rule by law.
  • Direct elections.
  • Protests are lawful.
  • Many separatist movements.
• Party and Electoral Systems:
  • Elections every 4 years for president and national assembly
  • First-past-the-post/Majority
  • Single/three-member
  • Two strong parties.
• Political & Economic Changes:
  • NNPC is state-owned
  • Import substitution industrialization model.
  • Strive to end unequal access to education.
  • Brain drain.
  • Oil industry is controlled mostly by foreign MNCs.

Russia

• Source of Power (SoP): Legislature
• System: Constitution/Authoritarian
• Government: Federal/Asymmetric
• Authority: Political Elite’s back of a strong President
• Change: Sudden
• Legitimacy: Tradition and Nationalism
• Head of State (HoS): President
• Head of Government (HoG): Prime Minister (PM)
• System: Semi-Presidential System
• Term Limits: Two 6 year consecutive terms
• Legislature: Presidential Hybrid Legislature
• Judiciary: District, Regional, Supreme Courts + Constitutional Court, no true judicial independence.
• Political Culture & Participation:
  • Underdeveloped civil society.
  • State protected people’s safety → less individualism.
  • Socialism.
  • Rule by law.
  • Elect president/legislative.
  • Large gatherings = crime.
  • Nationalized media.
  • Few separatist movements.
• Party and Electoral System:
  • Elections every 6 years for president and national assembly
  • Majority + Proportional Representation
  • Single-member + proportional
  • One dominant party (UR).
• Political & Economic Changes:
  • Nationalization of oil → great wealth accumulation among oligarchs.
  • Mixed economy; privatizes its national resources most
  • Limited foreign investment
  • Labor protection laws

United Kingdom

• Source of Power (SoP): Constitution
• System: Democracy
• Government: Unitary, turning Federal
• Authority Change: Monarch → Parliament
• Change: Evolutionary Change
• Legitimacy: Tradition and Stability
• Head of State (HoS): Monarch
• Head of Government (HoG): Prime Minister (PM)
• System: Parliamentary Monarchy
• Term Limits: No formal term limit
• Legislature: Bicameral Chamber
• Judiciary: Common Law, no true judicial independence.
• Political Culture & Participation:
  • Well-established civil society.
  • Geographically secluded → separated from Europe.
  • Some individualism.
  • Rule of law.
  • Direct election of MPs.
  • Protests are legitimate.
  • Few separatist movements.
• Party and Electoral Systems:
  • Elections every 5 years for MPs
  • First-past-the-post
  • Single-member districts
  • Two parties + minor parties.
• Political & Economic Changes:
  • Access to healthcare
  • Inflow of immigrants → Brexit
  • Rapidly aging population

Key Terms

• Legitimacy: citizens believe the government has the right to power.
• Political Stability: ability of the government to provide basic needs.
• Rule of Law: state should be governed by laws.
• Rule by Law: judiciary is subservient to decisions of officials.
• Civil Society: voluntary citizen actions based on interests, purposes, and values.
• Political Culture: collective attitudes and beliefs of norms in political system.
• Political Socialization: process of acquiring one’s beliefs toward political system.
• Political Participation: voting, protests, violence.
• Economic Globalization: interconnected, worldwide market.
• Economic Liberalization: free-market mechanisms.
• Neoliberal Policies: removal of barriers for economic actors.
• Supranational Organizations: sovereign power over national governments (ECOWAS, EU, NATO, WTO, IMF).