Comparative Government Exam 1

Current leader of France, GB, Germany.

Chancellor of Germany- Angela Merkel Prime Minister of Great Britain- Theresa May President of France- Emmanuel Macron

What are the three types of subcultures that can be found in any country, nation, or system of government? List, describe and provide examples of countries that can be found in each sub-culture. (Please review your notes here as this will be worth several points and detail must be given).

1) Participant- Industrialized democracies (USA 2) Subject- Developed/ semi-developed authoritarian systems 3)Parochial- less developed system/ 4th world

Meaning of legitimacy—what gives a country its legitimacy?

A country gets it legitimacy by how much power is determined by its people and how much say its people has for the country.

Absolutism—define. Where did it flourish historically in the context of the countries that we have studied to date?

Absolutism is the tendency of some European Monarchs to amass power/rule single-handedly. 16TH CENTURY

Systems of government in GB, France, Germany, U.S. (unitary, federal, etc.)

All have bicameral legislative. U.S. , Germany are both federal; while France and Great Britain are unitary

What's the capital of the countries studied/discussed to date and what's the geographic location of each?

Berlin, Germany; Paris,France; London, Great Britain

Elections—Comparison between the U.S., Great Britain, France, Germany. How often are elections held? Which country spends the most money on elections? Which country provides the least policy alternatives to the people? What's the process for electing the chief executive officers in each country?

Elections in U.S. are held every 4 years, Great Britain holds elections every 5 years, France holds elections every 5 years, Germany holds elections every 4 years. America spends the most money on elections.

Define ethnocentrism and hegemony. What's the connection between them? Provide two examples of hegemony. Review your notes and be sure to differentiate between the definition of ethnocentrism/hegemony and why we compare systems of government. Do not confuse them.

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to view alien groups or cultures in terms of one's own; it limits our ability to see diverse perspectives and to entertain new ideas Hegemony is leadership or predominant influence over others. Its REMAKING OR RESHAPING ONE'S IDENTITY. -- Nazi Germany, Israeli/Palestine, Uganda

Fiefdom (define)

Feudal Estataes

"Cohabitation"—when does it occur and in which country?

Happens when a country has both the parliament and the presidency system in place- FRANCE

Political parties in GB, France, US (comparisons) - strength, role, strong party ID, etc.

In GB, Tory is the conservative party, theres two major parties in GB, France, and US. But US has the strongest party ID.

Monarchy v. Republic (differences) - What's the fundamental difference between the two?

In a monarchy, the king and queen rules In a republic, the people choose who leads their state

What is the primary difference between parliamentary and presidential systems (GB and the United States of America). Who is usually the leader/Chief Executive Officer in a parliamentary system?

In a parliamentary system, you have the prime minister who is the leader and the CEO; whereas in the presidential system, you have the president

Term in office for the chief executive officer in the U.S., GB, France, Germany? Comparison type question.

In the U.S., the president can only serve 2 terms. In France, the president can only serve 2 terms. In England, the prime minister does not have a limit of terms. In Germany, the chancellor does not have a limit of terms.

Germany's Basic Law - what is it and what does it represent?

It's Germany's version of the constitution

Define NAFTA/List the countries (this is the current agreement that's in effect. The new agreement is (USMCA, which will most likely not go into effect until 2020) - why?

NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement and it includes the USA, Mexico, and Canada. It will not go into effect until 2020 because of all of the signatures and approvals the deal needs from leaders and legislators.

Define NATO and explain its significance.

NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its main purpose was to defend each other from the possibility of communist Soviet Union taking control of their nation.

Magna Carta - significance/purpose. When was it signed?

The Magna Carta was signed in 1215 and it limited monarch's powers, brought democracy for the people, and preserved the rights of English nobles.

The Bundestag and Bundesrat (representation, role, power, similarities/differences, etc.,).

The Bundestag is the main leader of Germany and the Bundesrat is like the Congress of Germany.

Define EU - how many countries are currently in the EU? Do not exclude Great Britain as this is still in progress. Why was the EU created? What are the two major global interests that countries have?

The EU is the European Union and 28 countries are currently in it. The EU was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours, which culminated in the Second World War.

Define IMF and state it's significance.

The International Money Fund is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of "189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty

WTO and significance.

WTO is the World Trade Organization, WTO helps trade throughout the world flow smoothly through its trade agreements

Define feudalism and provide examples of the countries that have had a history of feudalism.

the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants (villeins or serfs) were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally in exchange for military protection. -France, England, Portugal, Russia, Romania