Deck 5: The Authoritarian Model: Myth and Reality

Question 1

Though they sometimes interfere with the power or policy goals of the state, authoritarian rulers generally respect individual rights.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Most despots justify their self-serving policies as necessary to preserve order or protect the nation from foreign enemies.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Which is not a possible virtue of authoritarian government?

A)Efficiency
B)Limited opportunities for special interest groups
C)Faster economic growth
D)Effective infrastructure construction
E)Stability

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Who famously said, "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely"?

A)Aristotle
B)Lord Acton
C)Niccolò Machiavelli
D)Mao Zedong
E)None of the above

Question 5

Small groups can take over and rule a country, and those small groups are also known as a junta.

Question 6

The only standard for government legitimacy is the consent of the governed.

Question 7

Authoritarian rulers often come to power by first surprising and then overthrowing the government in a coup d'état.

Question 8

Authoritarian rule is the oldest, and has been the most common, form of government known to humanity.

Question 9

Due to China being America's second largest creditor, we are now economic codependents.

Question 10

Authoritarianism is worse for the people of a state than totalitarianism.

Question 11

In authoritarian states, a single ruler or a ruling elite controls the government.

Question 12

Tyrants are the same as dictators.

Question 13

Hosni Mubarak came to power in Egypt after the assassination of

A)Benjamin Netanyahu.
B)Desmond Tutu.
C)Ayatollah Khomeini.
D)Muammar el-Qaddafi.
E)Anwar al-Sadat

Question 14

Though China's economy has advanced rapidly, increasing environmental harm has been and continues to be a concern.

Question 15

Egypt has done well in the Middle East due to its large oil reserves.

Question 16

Democracy has made great strides, and authoritarianism is dead.

Question 17

Authors as far back as Aristotle have written about authoritarian methods of control in a state.

Question 18

In the postwar era, what has been the most common way that authoritarian rulers have left office?

A)Resigned
B)Ousted
C)Assassinated
D)Lost election
E)Executed

Question 19

All authoritarian regimes use brute force to suppress civil liberties and personal freedoms.

Question 20

How does the military usually dominate a political system?

A)It often rules as an institution.
B)The government is always headed by a single individual.
C)There is little chance of a return to civilian rule.
D)Large-scale public works projects are generally instituted.
E)It is necessarily illegitimate.

Question 21

Why is Iran considered to be an oxymoronic kind of state?

A)It is a democratic dictatorship.
B)It is a modern theocracy.
C)It is militantly pacifist.
D)It is a public aristocracy.
E)It is an open society that is controlled.

Question 22

Machiavelli's The Prince reflects the politically tumultuous politics at the time it was written in which state?

A)England
B)Spain
C)France
D)Italy
E)Portugal

Question 23

What features of authoritarian states offer the best explanation for their having been slow to modernize? Explain.

Question 24

Who praised the economic progress and effectiveness of the classical Chinese government?

A)Adam Smith
B)Karl Marx
C)The Dalai Lama
D)Both A and B
E)None of the above

Question 25

What were the Chinese students and workers gathered at Tiananmen Square in 1989 protesting?

A)Continuation of communism
B)Corruption and failure to democratize
C)Poor wages, bad food, and little education
D)Military expansion and aggression towards Tibet
E)All of the above

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT a typical characteristic of citizens in an authoritarian state?

A)Low life expectancy
B)Gross social inequality
C)High illiteracy rates
D)High birth rate
E)Slow to modernize

Question 27

According to Machiavelli's The Prince, what must rulers practice?

A)How not to be good
B)Foreign diplomacy
C)Politics
D)Persuasion techniques
E)Lying

Question 28

Authoritarian states are sometimes quite popular. Are there circumstances under which you as an individual would prefer authoritarian to democratic government?

Question 29

After years of rule by self-appointed juntas, Latin America has generally given way to rule by which of the following?

A)Benevolent dictators
B)Oligarchies
C)Tyrants
D)Freely elected governments
E)Military dictators

Question 30

Briefly describe three of the six myths about authoritarianism. Give examples of specific leaders and governments to support your answer.

Question 31

Lord Acton said that "Great men are almost always bad men." What did he mean by this? Explain and give examples.

Question 32

Which of the following are upset about China's continually expanding military capabilities?

A)Philippines
B)Taiwan
C)Japan
D)India
E)All of the above

Question 33

U.S. "Dollar Diplomacy" refers to

A)millions of dollars given to the U.N. to alleviate humanitarian crises.
B)U.S. dominance of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
C)the use of foreign aid to expand soft power.
D)the use of aid to prop up right-wing dictators.
E) both a and c.

Question 34

Given what you have read about the impact of individual leaders on authoritarian systems, describe some of the possible difficulties associated with a change of leadership. Are there any empirical examples of problems associated with leadership change in an authoritarian system?

Question 35

How do most authoritarianism regimes come to power?

A)Sudden coup d'état
B)Slow and steady take over by local governments
C)Usually a joint operation by the military and police
D)Constitutional convention
E)Mob rule from sudden epidemic or economic collapse

Question 36

Although it is trying to improve, which of the following is the best description of modern day China?

A)Bureaucratic totalitarian state
B)Monolithic police state
C)Self-defeating ideological state
D)Economic revolutionary state
E)Authoritarian police state

Question 37

Why is personal charisma important to autocrats?

A)It provides a source of legitimacy for their rule.
B)It keeps their subjects constantly occupied.
C)They are usually insecure and crave the adoration of their subjects.
D)It inspires fear in their subjects.
E)They are usually ineffective orators and cannot rely on their speaking skills.

Question 38

What is the main aim of authoritarian states?

A)Maintaining power
B)Growing the economy
C)Stifling opposition
D)Both B and C
E)None of the above

Question 39

How can authoritarian regimes gain legitimacy?

A)Tradition
B)Raw political power
C)Divine sanction
D)Both A and C
E)Both B and C

Question 40

How can a democracy fall into authoritarianism?

A)Endemic corruption
B)A lack of legitimacy
C)Great disparities in wealth and standards of living
D)Both B and C
E)All of the above

Question 41

Discuss the various methods leading to the creation of an authoritarian state. Discuss how these states secure their power and keep it.