Test: Political Regimes - UGC NET MCQ

The Concept of Socialist Society

• Modern Societies and Classification: Societies classified as socialist have loose formal parallels in political, property, and production regimes.
• Socialist Economy: In a socialist economy, the state controls and owns the means of production.
• Government Role: The state, guided by the planning commission, is responsible for the production and distribution of goods and manufacturing inputs.
• Major Features: Key features of socialist societies include public ownership, central planning, freedom of consumption, and equality of income distribution.

Additional Information

• Society Definition: A society is a group of people engaged in ongoing social interaction under the control of the same governmental authority and cultural expectations.
• Socialism Overview: Socialism is a political theory and movement characterized by social ownership of the means of production.
• Socialism Ideologies: Socialism covers various economic, political, and social structures related to social ownership, which can be employee, public, community, collective, or cooperative.

Understanding Constitutional Government Nature

• Presence of a Constitution: A constitutional government is characterized by the existence of a constitution, which can be a written document or a set of established principles that serve as the fundamental law of the state. This constitution effectively regulates the exercise of political power.
• Core Principle of Constitutionalism: Constitutionalism revolves around the idea of distributing power among different branches or offices of the state. This division ensures that each branch is subjected to checks and balances, fostering cooperation to determine the state's will.

Additional Insights

• The concept of constitutional government has historically thrived in England and other societies. While it was initially associated with limited political participation, it has evolved to encompass broader political engagement.
• Modern constitutional governments often align with democratic principles, leading to them being termed as constitutional democracies. This connection highlights the blend of constitutionalism with democratic governance.

Therefore, the nature of constitutional government is best encapsulated by the idea of limited governance.

The Concept of Political Legitimacy

• Political legitimacy is the right to rule granted by citizens to political authorities or political regimes ‘grounded in the common good or shared moral evaluations’. It is a virtue of political institutions and of the decisions—about laws, policies, etc.
• Sources of Political Legitimacy:
  • Consent: When a political authority fails to secure consent or oversteps the boundaries of the natural law, it ceases to be legitimate and, therefore, there is no longer an obligation to obey its commands.
  • Rational prudence: Legitimate political authority should be grounded on the principle of utility. The legitimacy of political authority depends on what morality requires.
  • Public Reason and Democratic Approval: Public reason accounts tend to focus on the problem of justifying political coercion. The solution they propose is that political coercion is justified if it is supported on the basis of reasons that all reasonable persons can share.

The Correct Answer is: Both Statement I and Statement II are correct

• Explanation of Statement I:

  • Social democracy combines elements of liberalism and socialism to reconcile freedom and equality.
  • It is a policy regime that promotes economic and social interventions to advance social justice within the context of a liberal-democratic polity and a mixed economy that is capitalist-oriented.
  • Social democracy is a political philosophy that initially favored a smooth transition from capitalism to socialism through the use of established democratic procedures.

  Therefore, Statement I is correct.

• Explanation of Statement II:

  • Social democratic regimes use the system of neo corporatism wherein policy-making involves the state, labour, and businesses.
  • Neo-corporatism is a Social democratic form of corporatism that favors economic tripartism.
  • It involves strong labor unions, employers' associations, and governments.

  Therefore, Statement II is correct.

Therefore, Both Statement I and Statement II are correct.

The correct answer is Developed Countries.

• Political Culture Definition: Political culture, as defined by Gabriel A. Almond and Sidney Verba in 1963, refers to the political orientations and attitudes towards the political system and its various components, as well as attitudes towards one's own position in the system.
• The Civic Culture: Almond and Verba's work, "The Civic Culture" (1963), was based on research conducted in the United States, Great Britain, West Germany, Italy, and Mexico between 1959 and 1960.
• Types of Political Culture: The study identified three distinct types of political culture, establishing the study of political culture as a separate field:

1. Parochial Political Culture: Found in underdeveloped countries or monarchical regimes.
2. Subject Political Culture: Found in developing countries.
3. Participant Political Culture: Found in Developed countries.

• Participant Political Culture: This type of political culture aligns with a democratic political structure and is referred to as the 'Civic Culture' by Almond and Verba.
• Homogenous Culture: Almond suggests that homogenous culture is found in developed countries due to their better economic, social, and cultural conditions compared to developing and underdeveloped countries.

Therefore, the correct option is Developed Countries.

The First Long Wave of Democratization

• Key Points
  • Definition of Democratic Wave: A democratic wave is defined as a group of transitions from nondemocratic to democratic regimes that significantly outnumber transitions in the opposite direction during a specified period of time.
  • Democratization Process: Democratization aims to introduce, institutionalize, and consolidate democracy in non-democratic nations, leading to significant global political changes.
• Three Waves of Democracy According to Huntington:
  • First Wave:
    • The First Wave of Democracy (1828–1926) began in the early 19th century with the expansion of universal suffrage, notably in the United States with the introduction of Jacksonian democracy.
    • During this period, countries like France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Italy, and Argentina also experienced democratization.
    • The First Wave peaked after the collapse of empires like Ottoman, Russian, German, and Austrian in 1918, resulting in the establishment of 29 democracies worldwide.
  • First Reverse Wave:
    • The tide turned with the rise of leaders like Benito Mussolini in Italy in 1922, leading to the decline of newly established democracies due to the spread of fascist and authoritarian movements.
  • Second Wave:
    • The Second Wave of democracy followed World War II and peaked in 1962 with 36 recognized democracies globally, before experiencing a decline to 30 democracies by the mid-1970s.
    • However, this wave was followed by a resurgence as new forms of democracy emerged, challenging the existing political landscape.
  • Third Wave:
    • The Third Wave began in 1974 with events like the Carnation Revolution in Portugal and the transition to democracy in Spain in the late 1970s.
    • During the 1980s, significant democratic transitions occurred in Latin America, Eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union, and sub-Saharan Africa.
    • This wave saw remarkable growth in democracy, with many nations transitioning to democratic systems.

The Correct Answer is: Only Statement II is true

Key Points:

• A democratic wave is defined as "a group of transitions from nondemocratic to democratic regimes that occur within a specified period of time and that significantly outnumber transitions in the opposite directions during that period of time," as per Huntington's definition in his 1991 book, The Third Wave.
• Daniel Bell was known for his work on the End of Ideology (1960) and focused on concepts like 'post-industrialism' and 'information societies'.
• The three waves of democracy according to Huntington are as follows:
  • First Wave
    • The First Wave of Democracy, spanning from 1828 to 1926, began in the early 19th century when most white males in the United States were granted the right to vote (known as "Jacksonian democracy").
    • This wave extended to countries like France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Italy, and Argentina before peaking with 29 democracies worldwide after the collapse of various empires in 1918.
    • The rise of Benito Mussolini in Italy in 1922 marked a turning point as newer democracies faced challenges from fascist and totalitarian movements.
  • Second Wave
    • The Second Wave began after World War II and reached its peak in 1962 with 36 recognized democracies globally, but then declined to 30 by the mid-1970s.
    • Despite a temporary decline, the Second Wave showed signs of resurgence, leading to changes in the democratic landscape.
    • Notably, the inclusion of women's suffrage altered the perception of democratic waves, with Switzerland granting voting rights to women in 1971.
  • Third Wave
    • The Third Wave commenced in 1974 with events like the Carnation Revolution in Portugal and the democratization of Spain in the late 1970s.
    • During the 1980s, significant democratic transitions occurred in Latin America, Eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union, and sub-Saharan Africa starting in 1989.
    • The rapid expansion of democracy was evident, with only a few Latin American nations remaining totalitarian by 1995.

The correct answer is: Both Statement I and Statement II are true.

Key Points

• Democratic Wave: Refers to a series of transitions from non-democratic to democratic regimes within a specific period, outnumbering transitions in the opposite direction. This concept was defined by Huntington in his book "The Third Wave" in 1991.
• Democratization is a process aimed at introducing, institutionalizing, and consolidating democracy in non-democratic societies. The significant growth of democracy from the mid-20th century onwards brought about a drastic transformation in the global political landscape.
• Three Waves of Democracy according to Huntington:
  • First Wave:
    • The First Wave of Democracy (1828–1926) began in the early 19th century, marked by the extension of voting rights to most white males in the United States (known as "Jacksonian democracy").
    • During this period, countries like France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Italy, and Argentina also adopted democratic systems. The wave peaked with 29 democracies globally after the collapse of empires like Ottoman, Russian, German, and Austrian in 1918.
    • The rise of leaders like Benito Mussolini in Italy led to the decline of newly formed democracies due to the emergence of fascist and totalitarian movements.
  • Second Wave:
    • The Second Wave emerged post-World War II and reached its peak in 1962 with 36 recognized democracies worldwide. However, by the mid-1970s, the number decreased to 30 democracies.
    • Despite a temporary decline, the Second Wave witnessed a resurgence that reshaped the global democratic landscape.
    • Changes such as women's suffrage impacted the perception of democratic waves, and countries like Switzerland granted voting rights to women later than expected.
  • Third Wave:
    • The Third Wave commenced in 1974 with events like the Carnation Revolution in Portugal and the transition to democracy in Spain during the late 1970s.
    • Throughout the 1980s, significant democratic transitions occurred in Latin America, Eastern Europe post-Soviet Union dissolution, and sub-Saharan Africa starting in 1989.
    • Notable democratic growth was observed in regions like Latin America, where the number of democracies increased from three in 1978 to twenty by 1995, with only a few countries like Haiti and Cuba remaining totalitarian.

The Correct Answer is 2 only and Why

Key Points

• Authoritarianism refers to political systems where an individual or a group has power, restricts popular participation, and suppresses dissent.
• Totalitarianism refers to a political system where all authority is held by the state.
• It is the most extreme form of authoritarianism, where the state controls all aspects of life.
• Statement 1 is not correct as totalitarianism is more repressive than authoritarianism.
• In democracies, values, ideology, rules, and government forms are determined by the government.
• The Economic Intelligence Unit's report, 'Democracy in sickness and in health?', highlighted democratic challenges faced by countries.
• The Democracy Index categorizes countries into full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes.
• Afghanistan is ranked 139th and labeled as an 'authoritarian regime' in the Democracy Index.
• Therefore, statement 2 is correct as per the latest EIU report.

Understanding Totalitarianism

• Totalitarianism:
  • It is a form of autocracy that concentrates power in a single center, whether it be an individual dictator or a group like a committee or party leadership.
  • This center uses force to suppress opposition and hinder social progress that could lead to opposition.
  • The power of the center is absolute and not limited by genuine sanctions or effective controls.
  • It posed a significant challenge to the ideals of liberal democracy and individual freedom in the 20th century with the rise of totalitarian political movements.
  • These systems of government were characterized by extensive state control.
  • Three main characteristics include: rule by a single ruler or party with unlimited power, use of violence and intimidation, and absence of political freedom.
  • Individuals were required to show total loyalty driven by fear.
  • Millions were killed, people were exploited and exiled, and all other political parties were abolished.
  • The government's reach extended throughout the country via various organizational levels.
  • They controlled media, education, and communication, censoring and approving all information.
  • This led to a loss of diversity, relationships, harmony, and compassion.
  • Freedom and rights had no place in these regimes; people lived in fear and suppression.
  • Leaders' sense of invincibility fueled extreme nationalism, resulting in aggressive acts and invasions to gain more power.
  • Ultimately, the aggression of totalitarian regimes contributed to the outbreak of World War II.