Deck 10: Comparative Politics

Question 1

The author of Mein Kampf was ______.

A) Adolf Hitler
B) Josef Stalin
C) Napoleon
D) Mao Zedong

Answer 1

Adolf Hitler

Question 2

In the British political system, which of the following bears responsibility for key government decisions?

A) the House of Commons
B) the House of Lords
C) the cabinet
D) the judiciary

Answer 2

the cabinet

Question 3

Which of the following is not an operative ideal of Nazi thought?

A) racism and anti-Semitism
B) elitist theories of leadership
C) Marxism
D) nationalism

Answer 3

Marxism

Question 4

With regard to the government in the People's Republic of China (PRC), which of the following is incorrect?

A) The primary purpose for the existence of legislative bodies is to rubber-stamp policies as they emanate from the Politburo.
B) In the PRC, the key legislative unit is the National People's Congress.
C) The real locus of power in the PRC is the Communist Party general secretary and the Politburo.
D) The PRC continues to foster a "personalist" leadership as it did earlier under Mao Zedong.

Question 5

Which of the following contributed to Afghanistan's being designated a failed or fragile state?

A) multiple invasions and occupation by outside powers
B) civil wars based on a waring tribal political and social structure
C) widespread corruption
D) all of these

Question 6

All but one of the following are contemporary dictators. Which one?

A) Kim Jong Il
B) Islam A. Karimov
C) Shavkat Mirziyoyev
D) Angela Merkel

Question 7

With regard to the British political system, which of the following is incorrect?

A) The British system is one of separation of powers.
B) Great Britain represents a case of successful transition from a highly centralized government controlled by the monarchy to a Western democratic political culture.
C) Whereas the British Parliament formally enacts legislation, most legislation originates in the cabinet.
D) Within the government, the party out of power is known as the loyal opposition.

Question 8

With regard to the failed state of Somalia, which of the following is not true?

A) For centuries Somalia was a major center of commerce.
B) In the middle of the nineteenth century, the French established a colony there and called it Somaliland.
C) Clanism is a deeply rooted in the Somali culture.
D) One of the contributing causes to Somali's collapse was a long-running and devastating civil war that only ended in 2012.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a parliamentary form of government?

A) Germany
B) Italy
C) Israel
D) The United States

Question 10

The British Civil Service is a ______.

A) meritocracy
B) aristocracy
C) patronage system
D) oligarchy

Question 11

In recent years, which of the following is a sign/are signs that Russia is becoming more authoritarian?

A) President Putin has waged a campaign against many of Russia's businessmen, some conducting business with questionable practices but others totally legitimate.
B) In 2013, President Putin dissolved the state news agency, RIA Novosti, and created a new state-run agency to promote Moscow's image abroad.
C) Russia has put enormous pressure on some of its former republics, threatening to withhold trade or natural gas and, in the case of Ukraine, seizing the Crimean Peninsula.
D) All of these.

Question 12

In 2018, Fidel Castro stepped down as president of Cuba. He was replaced by ______.

A) Augusto Pinochet
B) Che Guevara
C) Raul Castro
D) Nicolas Maduro

Question 13

_____________is a system of government characterized by a totalitarian ideology, dictatorial leadership, an oppressive one-party system, and the glorification of the state and its people.

Question 14

In Great Britain, the executive is the cabinet, which is headed by the _________________.

Question 15

The Communist Party's principal policymaking and executive committee is called
the___________________________.

Question 16

Nazi Germany systematically killed millions of Jews in the ____________________.

Question 17

A form of government in which power is centralized under a single person or small group is known as _________________________.

Question 18

From 1949 until his death in 1976, the People's Republic of China was led by the revolutionary leader _______________________.

Question 19

Within the British government, the party out of power is sometimes known as
________________________.

Question 20

The ability of a dictator to control how the general populace perceives his regime was vividly captured in George Orwell's novel _________________.

Question 21

British Prime Minister David Cameron stepped down from leadership of his party after a national referendum called for Great Britain to leave the European Union. The policy for leaving the EU was called _________________________.

Question 22

Discuss the difference between a government of separated powers and one of connected powers. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each?

Question 23

How does China's political system significantly differ from Western, constitutional democracy? What role does its political culture play in shaping those differences?

Question 24

Characterize the shape and function of a government in a failed state like Afghanistan or Somalia.

Question 25

How does totalitarianism differ from other forms of authoritarian rule, and what in your judgment is its appeal?

Question 26

It has been asserted by some political scientists and commentators that the British parliamentary system of government is superior to that of the American system of government. Do you agree with this assertion? If so, why? If not, why not?