Deck 7: Authoritarian Regimes and Democratic Breakdown

Question 1

Which of the following is not true of Zimbabwe?

A) Zimbabwe was one of the first African countries to invest heavily in education for girls.
B) Zimbabwe is considered one of the most democratic nations in Africa.
C) Zimbabwe was called Southern Rhodesia before the 1960s.
D) Zimbabwe was known as "the bread basket of Africa."

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Traditional oligarchies, empires, monarchies and sultanates are all examples of:

A) Democratic regimes
B) Authoritarian regimes
C) Populist regimes
D) Socialist regimes

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is not a basis of variation between types of authoritarian regimes?

A) The degree to which the regime centers on an individual
B) The degree to which the regime expounds an overarching ideology
C) The degree to which the regime constrains or violates human rights
D) The degree to which the regime expands its territorial influence

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A collapse of democracy is called:

A) Authoritarianization
B) Reverse democratization
C) Democratic breakdown
D) Authoritarian persistence

Question 5

Venezuela's government under Hugo Chávez and Nicolas Maduro, which combines elements of authoritarianism with some democratic features, could be defined as:

A) Totalitarian regime
B) A traditional democratic regime
C) A hybrid regime
D) A pseudo-democratic regime

Question 6

Which of the following is a type of authoritarian regime?

A) Totalitarian regimes
B) Theocracies
C) Personalistic dictatorships
D) All of the above

Question 7

Nazi Germany and present-day North Korea are examples of what type of authoritarian regime?

A) Totalitarian
B) Theocratic
C) Bureaucratic-authoritarian
D) All of the above

Question 8

A state that is controlled by religious leaders and imposes strict religious restrictions on its citizens is known as:

A) A theocracy
B) A holy empire
C) A secular republic
D) A democratic nation

Question 9

Which of the following is not necessarily true of authoritarian states?

A) Authoritarian states avoid holding elections at all costs.
B) Authoritarian states violate human rights to some degree.
C) Authoritarian states restrict democratization.
D) Authoritarian states may have personalistic leaders.

Question 10

Which statement is true concerning personalistic dictatorships?

A) They are dictators who are elected but not considered authoritarian.
B) They are Theocracies influenced by the ancient Roman Empire.
C) They are sometimes framed as necessary to help maintain order and advance their country.
D) The bureaucracy controls the state.

Question 11

Bureaucratic-authoritarian regimes are characterized by:

A) Control of the state by a group of elites rather than a single individual
B) A separation between state and military
C) A focus on ideology
D) Low economic productivity

Question 12

Stronger democratic international norms have contributed most directly to:

A) An increase in legitimacy for all regime types
B) A response of an increase in authoritarianism
C) A rejection of international law
D) An increase in regimes defined as hybrids

Question 13

An illiberal democracy has ______________ but lacks ____________.

A) Some democratic features, guaranteed civil rights
B) Some authoritarian features, elections.
C) Leader accountability, protected political rights
D) Reasonably fair elections, basic social services

Question 14

The ongoing continuation of an authoritarian regime is known as:

A) Transition
B) Competitive authoritarianism
C) Democratic breakdown
D) Authoritarian persistence

Question 15

Authoritarian persistence can be can be demonstrated by:

A) The persistence of a single authoritarian regime
B) The substitution of one authoritarian regime for another
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a nor b

Question 16

"Regime maintenance" refers to:

A) The periodic rotation of officials in charge of an authoritarian regime
B) The efforts made by a regime to remain in power
C) The provision of political information for the electorate in a delegative democracy
D) The cutting of the provision of basic services in order to fund the regime budget

Question 17

During what time period did the PRI rule in Mexico?

A) 1920-1942
B) 1929-2000
C) 1947-1975
D) 1986-present

Question 18

Which of the following would be the best characterization of historical-institutional accounts of regime types?

A) Coalitions of actors at different historical moments may help account for the persistence or collapse of regime types.
B) Political history is largely characterized by institutions that have become more democratic and less authoritarian over time.
C) The institutions that most affect history are comprised of political elites who act rationally when faced with challenges by the masses.
D) History is written by the winners, and therefore is largely for the institutionalized.

Question 19

Which of the following is interested in how shifting configurations of institutions and interests change the bargaining position of individuals?

A) Confucianism
B) State weakness and failure
C) Historical Institutionalism
D) Rational Choice Institutionalism

Question 20

Which scholar credits class structure as the key factor in which type of political regime is formed?

A) Samuel Huntington
B) Guillermo O'Donnell
C) Richard Stockton Bullitt
D) Barrington Moore

Question 21

Which of the following statements about poverty and authoritarianism is false?

A) Many authoritarian regimes have persisted in countries with low-income inequality.
B) Poverty does not exist in authoritarian regimes due to their socialist nature.
C) Income inequality can create divisions in society that can be manipulated by authoritarian regimes to maintain power.
D) Authoritarian regimes can bring about economic growth, thus improving living standards.

Question 22

Which of the following best summarizes Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson?

A) No bourgeoisie, no democracy.
B) No bourgeoisie, no authoritarianism.
C) Elites may favor repression over democracy if it will protect their privileges.
D) Authoritarian elites are susceptible to the contingencies of people power mobilization.

Question 23

Which of the following is not a political-cultural orientation identified by Almond and Verba?

A) Parochial cultures
B) Activist cultures
C) Civic cultures of participation
D) Subject cultures

Question 24

Action taken by individuals and groups to pursue their ends in formally or informally coordinated ways, often in pursuit of some common or public good is called:

A) Democratization
B) Revolution
C) Collective action
D) Grassroots organization

Question 25

Which scholar uses the Eastern European revolutions of 1989 to highlight the importance of the suppression of public opinion in the preservation of an authoritarian regime?

A) Lucan A. Way
B) Steven Levitsky
C) Timur Kuran
D) Daron Acemoglu

Question 26

Which of the following scholars is most closely identified with the idea of "competitive authoritarianism"?

A) Steven Levitsky
B) David St. Hubbins
C) Guillermo O'Donnell
D) Max Weber

Question 27

Which of the following polities is sometimes considered a good example of a "competitive authoritarian" regime?

A) The United States
B) North Korea
C) Brazil
D) Russia

Question 28

Which of the following polities could be considered an example of a theocracy?

A) The United States
B) Brazil
C) Russia
D) Iran

Question 29

Which of the following regimes could be described as "bureaucratic-authoritarian"?

A) The United States in 2010
B) Argentina in the 1970s
C) Iran after the 1979 revolution
D) There has never really been a "bureaucratic-authoritarian" regime.

Question 30

Which of the following regimes has been called "totalitarian"?

A) Cuba under Castro
B) The Soviet Union
C) Nazi Germany
D) All of the above

Question 31

Which of the following categories is most like the category "hybrid regime"?

A) Competitive authoritarian regime
B) Theocracy
C) Totalitarian regime
D) You shouldn't compare any regimes to hybrid regimes

Question 32

Which theory is most closely associated with the scholar Barrington Moore?

A) Democracy only happens in countries that have the right culture.
B) Democracy only happens in societies after the emergence of a bourgeoisie.
C) Democracy is indeterminate and cannot be predicted.
D) Democracy happens when groups solve problems of collective action.

Question 33

Must authoritarian persistence always take the form of a single regime remaining largely unchanged? Why or why not?

Question 34

Is it true that democratic breakdown only happens in cases where people don't value democracy? Explain.

Question 35

What are the different possible regime types that can follow a transition from authoritarian rule?

Question 36

Explain the meaning of the phrase "hybrid regime."

Question 37

How, if at all, might a "hybrid regime" be different from a competitive authoritarian one?

Question 38

How might a competitive authoritarian regime differ from an "illiberal democracy"?

Question 39

Why might an unpopular authoritarian regime remain in power, according to Timur Kuran?

Question 40

What distinguishes totalitarianism from other forms of authoritarianism?

Question 41

What is distinctive about bureaucratic-authoritarian rule, compared to other forms of authoritarianism?

Question 42

Identify at least two countries in the world today that may be classified as cases of competitive authoritarianism, and briefly explain why you categorize them this way.

Question 43

Is a transition from a democratic to a competitive authoritarian regime likely to look similar to a transition from a democratic to a fully authoritarian one?

Question 44

What is the difference between a personalistic dictatorship and a bureaucratic authoritarian one?

Question 45

Why might state weakness be associated with authoritarianism? How would you suspect causality to work in this connection?

Question 46

Under what conditions would you expect a well-established democracy to breakdown and move toward authoritarian rule? Do you see these conditions existing in any advanced democracies today? What does this imply for the future of democracy in such countries?

Question 47

Each theory discussed in this chapter provides a pathway to explain Zimbabwe's authoritarianism. Which one do you think provides the best explanation and why? Provide evidence.