Deck 13: Nondemocratic Regimes

Question 1

A system in which states co-opt members of the public by providing specific benefits to a person in return for public support is

A)clientelism.
B)corporatism.
C)rent seeking.
D)kickbacks.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The process by which individuals outside an organization are brought into a beneficial relationship with it,making them dependent on the regime for certain rewards,is known as

A)dependency.
B)integration.
C)acculturation.
D)co-optation.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following statements about populism is accurate?

A)Populism draws much of its power from an anti-institutional approach.
B)Populism is a specific ideology most closely associated with authoritarianism.
C)Populist movements rely heavily on elites and established institutions for legitimacy.
D)Populism commonly relies on a robust civil society.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Nondemocratic regimes are best defined as political systems in which

A)a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.
B)a small group of individuals exercises power over the state but remains constitutionally responsible to the public.
C)one person is elected by the state and then wields unlimited power.
D)power is held by a single political party.

Question 5

Purges are an example of

A)co-optation.
B)coercion.
C)patronage.
D)corporatism.

Question 6

Country X holds regular elections for a legislature,though most of its citizens have little faith in the validity of the results.Its powerful military operates largely outside of the control of the government,but it does not control the actions of the government.The government executive wields enormous power,but there is also a judiciary that occasionally rules on constitutional matters.A number of political parties compete with each other,but the government regularly restricts their campaigning activities.Based on this description,in which category could Country X most reliably be placed?

A)patrimonial regime
B)corporatist regime
C)clientist regime
D)illiberal regime

Question 7

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between civil society and nondemocratic regimes?

A)Nondemocratic regimes wield such power that civil society is irrelevant.
B)Nondemocratic regimes often seek to empower and expand civil society.
C)Nondemocratic regimes attempt to eliminate the idea of the state as an arena for social organization.
D)Elimination of civil society by nondemocratic regimes encourages populism.

Question 8

Bureaucratic authoritarianism typically relies on the close cooperation of which groups?

A)the military and the state bureaucracy
B)the state bureaucracy and organized labor
C)the military and organized labor
D)the state bureaucracy and the legislature

Question 9

Which of the following statements is consistent with the "resource trap" theory?

A)Abundant natural resources often free those in power from the need to tax the people.
B)Abundant natural resources in a country are typically tied to religious rule,which encourages undemocratic governing structures.
C)Heavy taxation in resource-rich countries inspires resentment by the people,leading to authoritarian crackdowns.
D)The portability of natural resources contributes to the desire of elites to hang on to power.

Question 10

Countries that appear to have many of the trappings of democracy but restrict the democratic process to a great degree are known as

A)illiberal regimes.
B)crypto-democracies.
C)democratic tyrannies.
D)subdemocracies.

Question 11

The nature of Stalin's rule in the Soviet Union is mostly associated with which of the following?

A)patrimonialism
B)rational-legal legitimacy
C)personality cult
D)bureaucratic authoritarianism

Question 12

Which of the following statements about one-party rule is accurate?

A)It is often combined with a corporatist regime.
B)It forces party membership on nearly all citizens.
C)It typically prevents the development of extreme forms of rule like totalitarianism.
D)Single-party influence is rarely able to penetrate very far down into society.

Question 13

Which of the following would be an example of rent seeking?

A)providing cash payments to influential industry leaders in return for political support
B)giving control of a nationalized industry to supporters of those in power
C)power sharing between labor and the military in a nondemocratic regime
D)nationalizing a previously private utility and keeping it under tight state control

Question 14

A system whereby authoritarian regimes sanction a limited number of organizations to represent the public (and restrict unsanctioned ones)is known as

A)kleptocracy.
B)corporatism.
C)rent seeking.
D)clientelism.

Question 15

In which of the following ways does clientelism differ from corporatism?

A)Clientelism involves the military as well as business,rather than business groups only.
B)Clientelism tends to replace individual corporations with state-sanctioned ones.
C)Clientelism requires a more structured set of sanctioned and licensed organizations.
D)Clientelism relies on individual patronage rather than on large organizations.

Question 16

Which of the following examples can be described as totalitarian?

A)the Soviet Union under Stalin
B)Iraq under Saddam Hussein
C)Saudi Arabia under the Saud family
D)China under Jiang Zemin

Question 17

As a political system,totalitarianism is

A)common.
B)rare.
C)common only in Latin America.
D)common only in Africa.

Question 18

Which of the following represents a challenge to the behavioral revolution's assertion about the relationship between nondemocratic rule and modernization?

A)The presence of a strong middle class has proven to be a key component of modernization.
B)Authoritarianism can be found only alongside capitalism.
C)Modernization's disruptive process can lead to nondemocratic rule.
D)Many wealthy countries in the world are nondemocratic.

Question 19

Which of the following characterizations best describes the rule in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo)by the government of Mobutu Sese Seko from 1965 until 1997?

A)one-party rule with strong use of clientelism
B)military rule tending toward bureaucratic authoritarianism
C)personal rule with increasing reliance on patrimonialism over time
D)illiberal democracy

Question 20

Which of the following statements best characterizes the "Asian values" argument?

A)Asia has cultural and religious traditions that encourage individualism and free expression,making it more receptive to democracy.
B)Asia has cultural and religious traditions that encourage conformity and obedience,making it less receptive to democracy.
C)Asian cultural and religious traditions lead to authoritarian regimes that are typically less violent.
D)Asian values tend to discourage the formation of a middle class,which limits democratic institutions.

Question 21

Which of the following characteristics is an illiberal regime likely to have in common with a democratic regime?

A)The executive is weaker than other institutions.
B)Referenda are used rarely and are limited in their ability to affect policy.
C)Parties are restricted in their ability to compete,but the military is firmly under civilian control.
D)The executive,legislature,and judiciary are established and have their respective arenas of authority.

Question 22

What is the link between civil society and populism in nondemocratic systems? Is the presence of a strong civil society always democratic?

Question 23

Which of the following statements best describes the record of economic growth under military rule?

A)In some cases of military rule,economic growth has been high,but in many more cases it has led to instability and poor development.
B)Countries under military rule,either current or historical,have yet to demonstrate any period of sustained economic growth.
C)Some cases of military rule have led to instability and violence,but in many more cases they have led to high economic growth.
D)Military rule produced high levels of economic growth in Asia but not in Latin America.

Question 24

How is totalitarianism different from other forms of nondemocratic rule? Why have some scholars suggested that the concept of totalitarianism be abandoned in comparative politics?

Question 25

Communist countries are examples of which form of authoritarianism?

A)illiberalism
B)hybrid regimes
C)patrimonialism
D)one-party rule

Question 26

A nondemocratic regime in which holy texts or religious law form the foundation for its rule would be known as

A)a theocracy.
B)religious illiberalism.
C)fundamentalist monism.
D)orthodox authoritarianism.

Question 27

Which of the following terms most accurately describes Iran's theocracy?

A)autocratic
B)totalitarian
C)illiberal democracy
D)authoritarian

Question 28

What is the role of elites in fostering nondemocratic rule? Why might a resource-rich state be nondemocratic with low levels of public interest in democracy?

Question 29

What is co-optation? How do nondemocratic regimes achieve political control through co-optation?

Question 30

Which of the following statements describes a difference between the totalitarian regimes of Mao in China and Stalin in the Soviet Union?

A)Stalin placed most elements of society under the state's control,whereas Mao had a more moderate approach regarding the state's power over society.
B)Mao was able to cultivate the image of a godlike ruler,whereas Stalin was not.
C)Stalin modernized the Soviet Union,but Mao's regime was not able to modernize China.
D)Unlike Stalin,Mao did not resort to terror and violence to consolidate power.

Question 31

Which of the following statements best explains the difference between Brazil's and Nigeria's experience with military rule?

A)The military successfully took control in Brazil due to weak and divided democracy,whereas in Nigeria democracy was healthy when military rule began.
B)Brazil has transitioned out of military rule to democracy,but Nigeria has not.
C)Unlike Brazil,the military regime in Nigeria succumbed to the resource trap.
D)The military first seized power from an autocratic state in Nigeria;in Brazil the military first seized power from a democratic state.

Question 32

What are the five forms of nondemocratic rule and what is each one's preferred method of control? In recent years,are nondemocratic regimes retreating or retrenching? Why?

Question 33

Which of the following is the best example of a country that could be described as a theocracy?

A)Thailand
B)Jordan
C)Iran
D)Egypt

Question 34

Bureaucratic authoritarianism often justifies military rule by asserting that

A)only the military can restore public pride.
B)only technocratic leadership can rise above "irrational" politics.
C)civilians are inferior to the officer corps.
D)only the educated elites should be given the right to rule.

Question 35

Which of the following is among the characteristics that have led some to consider Russia a bureaucratic authoritarian regime?

A)Opposition to technological modernization comes primarily from the military regime.
B)Union leaders have found themselves endowed with high levels of authority,bolstered by the government.
C)The head of government and top rulers came into their positions from the military or security services.
D)Military and industry in the country find themselves on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

Question 36

Which of the following statements regarding nondemocratic rule and legitimacy is accurate?

A)Nondemocratic regimes are never legitimate in the eyes of the public.
B)Nondemocratic regimes are never legitimate in the eyes of the international community.
C)Nondemocratic regimes may enjoy the same level of institutionalization as any democratic regime.
D)Nondemocratic regimes are only considered legitimate if they are industrialized.

Question 37

Which term refers to a military seizure of the government?

A)coup de grâce
B)coup d'état
C)military usurpation
D)armed politics

Question 38

Once considered relatively unusual,military rule became much more common over the past 50 years,particularly in

A)Africa and Latin America.
B)Eastern Europe and Africa.
C)Latin America and Eastern Europe.
D)East Asia and Eastern Europe.