1. Governing States Section 3

2. Governing States O National governments can be classified as democratic, autocratic, or anocratic. O A democracy is a country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office. O An autocracy is a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people. O An anocracy is a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic, but rather a mix of the two.

4. National Scale: Regime Types O Democracies and autocracies differ in three essential elements: 1. Selection of Leaders O Democracies: Institutions and procedures=citizens can express effective preferences O Autocracies: Leaders=defined (usually hereditary) rules of succession from within the political elite. 2. Citizen Participation O Democracies: Institutionalized constraints on the exercise of power by the executive. O Autocracies: Citizens’ participation restricted or suppressed. 3. Checks and Balances: O Democracies: Guarantee civil liberties to all citizens. O Autocracies: No checks from legislative, judicial, or civil society institutions.

5. The number of autocracies has declined sharply since the late 1990s.

6. Forms of Government O Unitary – highly centralized government where the capital city serves as a focus of power. O Federal – a government where the state is organized into territories, which have control over government policies and funds.

7. Nigeria’s Federal Government – Allows states within the state to determine whether to have Shari’a Laws O Shari’a Laws O Legal systems based on traditional Islamic laws

8. The U.S. Federal Government – Allows states within the state to determine “moral” laws such as death penalty, access to alcohol, and concealed weapons. O Minnesota’s concealed weapons law O Requires the posting of signs such as this on buildings that do not allow concealed weapons.

9. Electoral Geography O Boundaries separating legislative districts within the U.S. and other countries are redrawn periodically to ensure each has about the same population. O 435 districts of the U.S. House of Representatives are redrawn every 10 years, following the Census Bureau’s release of the official population figures. O **Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefits the party in power is called gerrymandering.

10. O Gerrymandering takes three forms: 1. Wasted vote spreads opposition supporters across many districts but in the minority. 2. Excess vote concentrates opposition supported into a few districts. 3. Stacked vote links distant areas of like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries. O U.S. Supreme Court ruled gerrymandering illegal in 1985 but did not require dismantling of existing oddly shaped districts.

11. WASTED VOTE GERRY MANDERING O Spreads opposition supporters across many districts as a minority. O If the Blue Party controls the redistricting process O Creating four districts with a slender majority of Blue Party voters and one district (#1) with a strong majority of Red Party voters.

12. EXCESS VOTE GERRY MANDERING O Concentrates opposition supporters into a few districts. O If the Red Party controls the redistricting process, O Creating four districts with a slender majority of Red Party voters and one district (#3) with an overwhelming majority of Blue Party voters.

13. STACKED VOTE GERRY MANDERING O Links distant areas of like- minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries. O Red Party controls redistricting and creates five oddly shaped districts, four with a slender majority of Red Party voters and one (#3) with an overwhelming majority of Blue Party voters.

14. Cold War Competition and Alliances O Division of world into military alliances resulted from the emergence of two superpowers- U.S. and Soviet Union. O Military Cooperation in Europe O NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) O 16 democratic states, including the U.S., Canada, and 14 other European states. O Warsaw Pact O Military agreement among Communist Eastern European countries to defend each other in case of attack.

15. O NATO and Warsaw Pact were designed to maintain a bipolar balance of power in Europe. O NATO’s Objective: prevent the spread of communism by the Soviet Union. O Warsaw Pact Objective: Provide the Soviet Union a buffer of allied states between it and Germany to discourage a third German invasion of the Soviet Union in the 20 th century. O Disbanded once Europe was no longer dominated by military confrontation between two blocs.

16. Economic Alliances in Europe O European Union (EU) O Formed: 1958 O Members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, & West Germany O Purpose: Heal Western Europe’s scars from WWII O Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON) O Formed: 1949 O Members: 7 Eastern European Communist states from the Warsaw Pact plus Cuba, Mongolia, and Vietnam. O Purpose: Promote trade and sharing of natural resources

17. Supranationalism O Define: Method of decision-making in multi- national political communities, wherein power is transferred or delegated to an authority by governments of member states. O Example: European Union, NATO, Warsaw Pact, OPEC, Arab League.

18. Changes resulting from supranationalism. O Larger Markets-trade O Greater international competition(economy) O Open Borders O Common Currency O Common policies

20. Devolution – Movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state. What causes devolutionary movements? Ethnocultural forces Economic forces Spatial forces

21. Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements Eastern Europe -Devolutionary forces since the fall of communism

22. Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements Scotland -Rise in independence movement is coupled with: - European Union - Scotland’s oil resources

23. Spatial Devolutionary Movements Honolulu, Hawai’i A history apart from the United States, and a desire to live apart in order to keep traditions alive.

24. Changes resulting for Devolution O Formations of new states an governments O More power to regions O Influence of religion O Political instability O Economic instability O Mass Migration

25. Case Study: North Korea O Is it democracy or autocracy?