Political Ideologies and Regimes: A Comparative Study
ITEM 10: Political Ideologies and Regimes
Democracy
A form of government and state organization in which collective decisions are made by the people through participatory mechanisms. These mechanisms, directly or indirectly, confer legitimacy to the representatives.
Dictatorship
A form of government in which power is concentrated around the figure of a single individual (the dictator), usually through the consolidation of a de facto government. It is characterized by a lack of separation of powers,
Read MoreSpain’s Transition to Democracy: 1975-1977
Democratic Spain: 1975-1977
After the death of Carrero Blanco, Carlos Arias Navarro was named president. Two years after Franco died, and two days later, Juan Carlos became king of Spain.
1. The Political Transition
A) The Government of Carlos Arias Navarro:
He was the last prime minister of the dictatorship and the first of the Monarchy. His government was composed of men of the regime, but many wanted a change towards liberalization. The democratic transition would take place from Francoist institutions
Read MoreKey Organizations and Figures of the Cold War Era
CAME (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance): An economic agency created in response to the Marshall Plan by the USSR and its Eastern European allies. It was a system of collaboration and coordination of markets and economic policies.
OEEC (Organization for European Economic Cooperation): An institution created in 1948 by 16 European countries, recipients of the Marshall Plan. It is the origin of the European Economic Community.
Federal Republic of Germany (FRG): Formed from the areas clustered by
Read MoreThe Spanish War of Independence & Liberal Triennium
The Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814)
At the beginning of the 19th century, Carlos IV’s minister, Godoy, agreed to help Napoleon Bonaparte fight against France’s main enemy: the United Kingdom. Godoy allowed French troops to move through Spain to invade Portugal (an ally of the British). In 1808, the Spanish people were angry because the French troops had established themselves permanently. The Motín de Aranjuez broke out, demanding the dismissal of Godoy and Carlos IV. The king abdicated
Read MoreRise of Nazism and the Third Reich in Germany
The Establishment of Nazism in Germany
The Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic was a political system established in Germany after the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II. It was declared a republic based in Weimar and had a constitution. Many Germans were humiliated by the Treaty of Versailles.
The economic crisis, poverty, unemployment, debt, and inflation caused by war reparations and the declining value of the Mark plagued the Weimar Republic. It was led by Socialists and Christian Democrats. The early
Read MoreThe Catholic Monarchs: Reign and Unification of Spain
Machiavelli’s *The Prince*: Advice for Rulers
What advice does Machiavelli give to rulers in The Prince?
Niccolò Machiavelli advises rulers to do what is necessary, without concern for morality. He suggests that rulers must be willing to be cruel if it serves their purpose. The central idea is that “the end justifies the means.”
Division of the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th Century
How was the Iberian Peninsula divided into kingdoms in the fifteenth century?
It was divided into the Crown of Castile,
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