Examine the main ways in which an authoritarian system sustains itself. Answer with reference to ONE or a comparison of TWO countries.

Course: International relations

Examine the main ways in which an authoritarian system sustains itself. Answer with reference to ONE or a comparison of TWO countries.

Examine the main causes of transition/revolution/state collapse from authoritarianism in ONE country or a comparison of TWO countries in one region

Assess and account for the main problems in the transition to democracy in ONE country or comparison of TWO countries in one region

Examine and account for the extent (or failure) of democratic consolidation in ONE country or comparison of TWO countries in one region

Key information:
The study must relate to existing authoritarian states (e.g. China, Iran but not the Soviet Union) or transitions from authoritarianism and democratisation and problems of democratic consolidation in the late Twentieth Century and Twenty-First Centuries i.e. not before 1970s (e.g. Hungary, Egypt and Chile but not the US and the UK)

Possible countries/ regions are:-

The Soviet Union/Russia (you would only consider the Soviet Union if answering question 2 i.e. the causes of Soviet collapse) For questions 3 and 4 you could look at Russia or Ukraine post-1991, or undertake a comparison of any two other post-soviet states e.g. Belarus, Moldova, the Caucasus states, the Central Asian states, Baltic states. Give the word limit and the literature available I would suggest you only look at Russia and/or Ukraine on their own rather than in comparison with others.

Central European states and the Balkans – e.g. Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia (or if you are looking at question 3 and 4 then Czech Republic and Slovakia separately), Romania, Bulgaria, German Democratic Republic (the latter only applies to question 2), the Balkan states – Serbia, Croatia, Albania, Slovenia. In most cases, depending on sources it may be best to undertake a comparison of two.

c) Chile or other relevant countries in Latin America

d) One or two of Spain, Portugal, Greece for questions 2 to 4

e) South Africa – there will not be a specific lecture on this but it makes for a good case study for questions 2-3.

f) North Africa and the Middle East – you may be best to concentrate on one or two states in particular. If you wish to you could also look at Iraq – even though transition here is separate from the Arab ‘Revolutions’.

g) Africa more generally – you could choose a comparative case study of authoritarianism and problems of democratisation in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, DRC, Gambia and most recently Zimbabwe. A comparison may be best and be sure that there is sufficient literature available. We have African Studies journals.

h) East and Southeast Asia – You could examine cases of democratic transition in Taiwan and South Korea in East Asia, or Cambodia, Phillippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Timor Leste etc… in Southeast Asia. Much of this region is also ripe for discussion on the problems of democratic consolidation (i.e. Thailand and Cambodia) as well as authoritarian consolidation (i.e. China and North Korea)

The differences between questions for the essays are largely ones of focus. In the case of question 2 you are largely looking at the factors which promoted the change away from and collapse of the former regime. In the case of 3 you are looking at the main problems in trying to move away from the old regime and to a democracy. In the case of 4 you are measuring the actual extent of democracy achieved (or not) and accounting for that. In the case of question 1 there may be some overlap with question 4 depending on your analysis.

Some people may assess Russia as a form of authoritarianism (question 1) or as a state in which there have been problems of democratic consolidation (question 4).

In some cases there has clearly been a return to authoritarianism (question 1) e.g. Belarus, Egypt. In such cases, then why? There will of necessity be some overlap especially in the time periods looked at and in the factors examined. The main thing is to establish your parameters in the introduction to the essay and justify them.

In answering the question, students must ensure that they also pay some consideration to theories of authoritarianism, transition, revolution, state collapse, democratic transition, democracy and democratic consolidation to their case study area – whichever are relevant.

Essay Marking Criteria

Comprehension of topic
Awareness of key authors
Quality of critical analysis
Use of evidence
Writing skills
Referencing and Bibliography (APA 7th)

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