APCOMP GOV NOTES PDF

UNIT 1: PT 1 (UK) 1)​ TRENDS REGARDING VOTER TURNOUT a)​ High in 19th century then declined beginning in 1970s because of ECONOMIC CRISIS and DISTRUST IN WELFARE STATE i)​ ECONOMIC CRISIS = 1970s stagflation b/c of global oil crisis that...

UNIT 1: PT 1 (UK) 1)​ TRENDS REGARDING VOTER TURNOUT a)​ High in 19th century then declined beginning in 1970s because of ECONOMIC CRISIS and DISTRUST IN WELFARE STATE i)​ ECONOMIC CRISIS = 1970s stagflation b/c of global oil crisis that increased prices → Margaret Thatcher cutting government spending in 1980s = high unemployment and traditional industries suffering (recession) → 2008 financial crisis, banks failed, jobs lost ii)​ WELFARE STATE = made after WW1 to provide a safety net by giving healthcare, education and unemployment support (1)​DISTRUST = some people felt as if the government provided too much support which encouraged them not to work, therefore, Margaret Thatcher cut spending (a)​ in 2008 gov spent less which made people feel hopeless School election where everyone comes to vote, but then overtime students felt like StuCo was listening less and less and didn’t even bother voting 2)​ COMPARING THATCHER (1980) AND CAMERON (2010) CONSERVATIVE REGIMES i)​ Thatcher (1)​aggressive; privatization of government companies to reduce government spending (British Airways) → job losses, and stable salaries (2)​minimal government interference aka “THATCHERISM”, hated welfare state as she believed it created dependency (3)​Anti Unions (specifically labor); Thatcher implemented multiple laws and economic policies that reduced the amount of strikes and voice labor unions had, famously the MINERS STRIKE in 1984 (4)​She promoted competition with the private sector, however, many people could not adhere to the new policy making them much poorer than before Teacher wants students to buy their own supplies to increase effort in classroom, but the ones who struggle to get those supplies struggle within the class ii)​ Cameron (1)​Focused on AUSTERITY following the 2008 financial crisis, basically reducing government spending and increasing taxes to make up for the money lost in the crisis (2)​Wanted to have less government intervention, but unlike Thatcher, he put that responsibility to local communities, with the goal of  increasing and giving voice to charities and local organizations (“The Big Society”), however, the downside of this was that many felt as if it was putting the burdens of the government onto local communities (3)​Also didn’t like Unions but was less extreme than Thatcher (4)​In 2016, introduced the Brexit referendum, with the goal to settle EU debates of the Conservative Party. Teacher still wants people to get their own supplies to increase productivity, however he says people should get them from clubs and other classrooms, which was still difficult for many people to find, and put pressure on clubs 3)​ COMPARING/CONTRASTING OLD LABOR PARTY AND NEW LABOR PARTY PLATFORMS a)​ OLD LABOR i)​ Main goal was supporting the labor worker and providing policies that protected labor workers ii)​ Implement more government intervention in common labor practices such as mining, railways, etc. iii)​ Support for unions b)​ NEW LABOR = 1990s TONY BLAIR i)​ More centrist politically ii)​ Focus on the business and labor to appeal to more people, through supporting labor unions, but also promoting the businesses (1)​Welfare → Work Programs = rather than spending money on welfare for labor workers and the unemployed, it was used to make places were the unemployed can find jobs Old Labor wanted to spend budget on getting more supplies only for sports teams because that is what they care about, New Labor has a focus on both sports teams and the school to appeal to all 4)​ ROLE OF REGIONAL/MINOR PARTIES a)​ REGIONAL/MINOR PARTIES = represent different regions of the UK, with the most prominent being the SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY (SNP), Plaid Cyrum in Wales, and Democratic Unionist Party for Northern Ireland b)​ They are not as strong as the Labor and Conservative parties, and are basically “independent parties” and have limited seats in government, but they are important for influencing the voices of different UK regions, and can work with bigger parties i)​ When a major party doesn’t win enough seats in parliament to form a government of their own they may make a coalition with a regional/minor party  c)​ However, in places like Scottish Parliament, the SNP has a strong voice for Scottish Independence and significant influence 5)​ DEVOLUTION OF GOVERNMENT POWER a)​ = giving parliaments, and small governments to each region so they can make some decisions on their own without needing approval from a larger government , similar to leaving something up to the states in the USA b)​ Scotland has its own parliament and if it wanted to make a slight change to education it would not need the Central Parliament in London’s approval to do so 6)​ EUROSCEPTICISM & BREXIT a)​ EUROSCEPTICISM = belief held by the UK that thought that the EU’s rules and regulations on ie; trade was too restrictive and limited UK’s sovereignty→ wanting to leave it b)​ BREXIT = withdrawal process of the UK from the EU, in 2016 Cameron held this referendum i)​ Those for believed that it would give more freedom to the UK ii)​ Those against believed it would harm already established trade, immigration, and economic relations held within the EU c)​ IMPACT OF BREXIT = those against were right, it was difficult for the UK to establish new trading, and political relationships within the EU because it was against typical EU customs 7)​ INTEREST GROUPS AND CORPORATISM a)​ INTEREST GROUPS = represent a group of people with a common interest and want a common law or policy to be passed, can often be linked to a Union but not always (ie; shared interest of lowering taxes) b)​ CORPORATISM = corporation involvement in government i)​ More popular until Thatcher, she slashed that hoe, believed that government should not be involved in corporations and vice versa ii)​ HOWEVER, corporatism isn’t as prominent today, but many interest groups and corporations lobby and advocate for their goals Sports club tries to advocate to get more funding, but so does art, and affinity groups, and tries to influence the school’s budget sector to give more to their respective club 8)​ STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS a)​ House of Lords is an unelected part of Parliament made up of hereditary peers (inherited positions), life peers (appointed by Prime Minister), and spiritual lords (Church of England Archbishops) that review laws passed by House of Commons; are NOT the final decision, kind of just peer review 9)​ STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF HOUSE OF COMMONS a)​ House of Commons is an elected part of parliament, with seats given based on the percentage of votes for each party b)​ Makes decisions, debates topics, passes laws, introduces legislation etc.  c)​ Prime Minister is basically the head of the government and is usually the leader with the party with the most seats in parliament 10)​ CHURCH AND STATE a)​ The Church of England is the official national church and the Archbishop of Canterbury (aka. The King, Charles III) b)​ Church of England is more historically important but today does not have much influence on politics at all because the parliament is largely secular c)​ More of a cultural and face of England sort of deal, and is important when celebrating holidays or having national celebrations and is a representation of tradition 11)​ SIGNIFICANT POLITICAL CLEAVAGES IN THE UK a)​ CLASS i)​ Conservatives vs Labor Party (more prominent historically and less now but still present) b)​ Brexit i)​ Pro Brexit vs anti Brexit c)​ Regions i)​ Regions like Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland each have their own identities which often leads to political conflict, especially with the SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT Art club and sports club have different views and priorities on how the money should be spent, and different grade representatives do too, these are political cleavages 12)​ COLLECTIVE CONSENSUS BETWEEN LABOR AND CONSERVATIVES IN MID 20th CENTURY a)​ POST WW11 i)​ After WW11, LP and CP agreed that people should receive affordable/free healthcare with the implementation of a welfare state and specifically the NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE b)​ STABILITY CONSENSUS i)​ Despite differences both parties agree on stability in economics, health, and societal c)​ CONSENSUS DECLINE i)​ With Thatcher coming in and stirring the pot, and the economic crisis people became more polarized with their views 13)​ PRECARIAT’S INFLUENCE IN UK POLITICS a)​ Precariat is essentially the working class similar to conservative farmers in the USA (christian, anti-foreigners, pro-Brexit, working class, low income) b)​ Precariat feels economically vulnerable and disconnected from the rest of the population in the UK, and advocates through representation through UK  INDEPENDENCE PARTIES (UKIP) because they feel that neither the CP or LP represent their interests i)​ This has resulted in low voter turnout from the precariat 14)​DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND SUFFRAGE IN THE UK a)​ All of these are important because they helped with democracy i)​ 1832 = GREAT REFORM ACT, kind of shit just gave voting rights to middle class men leaving lower class men disappointed ii)​ 1884-85 = more working class men got a right to vote iii)​ 1918 = REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACT = widened suffrage through giving property rights to women iv)​ 1928 = EQUAL FRANCHISE ACT = all citizens over 21 can vote! UNIT 1 PT 2 (RUSSIA V UK) SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN DUMA & UK GOVERNMENT 1.​ BICAMERAL STRUCTURE (TWO CHAMBERS): 🤨 a.​ UK: House of Lords (unelected) + Commons (elected) b.​ Russia: State Duma (elected ) + Federation Council (appointed) 2.​ LEGISLATIVE ROLE: both draft, debate, and pass laws 3.​ LIMITED CHECKS ON THE EXECUTIVE: both legislatures *technically* have the ability to check on the executive branch, however in reality, Russia’s leader has much more authority and it’s very hard for legislatures to check Russia. In the UK it’s more viable because of their PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY If the student council runs the school along w/ the principal here is the difference between Russia + UK: in the UK StuCo has more power to keep the principal in check and can even change the principal if they want. In Russia, the principal has most of the power, and usually goes along with what they want 4.​ COMMITTEES: both have committees to scrutinize the legislation and gov a.​ People in specialized field (eg; healthcare, agriculture) help overview legislature and the way the gov works, but in Russia, the committees are more likely to follow the President 5.​ REPRESENTATIVE FUNCTION: both responsible for representing the will of the people a.​ UK: House of Commons b.​ Russia: State Duma reps federal electoral districts DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN DUMA & UK GOVERNMENT 1.​ POLITICAL SYSTEM: a.​ UK: PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY: the prime minister is a member of parliament and must maintain approval and confidence in the parliament. The gov accountability is the parliament b.​ Russia: SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM: the president and duma work hand and hand. Legislature and gov are accountability is to both (but more the president in Russia because of the significant executive power) In the UK the class president must work with the rest of StuCo, but in Russia the class president doesn’t need StuCo’s approval to do whatever they want  2.​ ELECTION AND COMPOSITION: a.​ UK: uses FPTP system to elect MP for each constituency→ House of Commons ; House of Lords → unelected (life peers, monarchy, etc) b.​ Russia: uses a single member constituencies and half proportional representation) aka MIXED ELECTORAL VOTING ; Federation Council (reviews legislature) → appointed thru appointed by district legislative branch and other by regional governor In the UK lower house members are chosen directly by students and in Russia they are chosen by students and teachers (regional governors) 3.​ UPPER HOUSE ROLE a.​ House of Lords barely has any actual power, just power to influence b.​ Federation Council approves border policies, martial law etc, but is HEAVILY influenced by the president 4.​ DOMINANCE OF EXECUTIVE POWER a.​ UK: PM is a MP and works to represent them in IR b.​ Russia: the president carries majority of power, can veto laws and heavily influence the judiciary GRADUALISM (foot in door) VS SHOCK THERAPY (door in the face) GRADUALISM (UK): slow and steady reforms to avoid any disruptions -​ HISTORY: Magna Carta (1215) then reform acts in the 1800s giving democracy to landowners then men and finally women. -​ OUTCOME: stable economic and political evolution -​ Introducing new things slowly gives more time to adjust (foot in the door) SHOCK THERAPY (RUSSIA): rapid economic changes such as privatization and deregulation after USSR collapse -​ HISTORY: Boris Yeltsin implemented privatization of state owned businesses overnight -​ OUTCOME: -​ severe inflation and poverty in 1990s -​ Rise of oligarchs (wealthy individuals who bought state industries and are in close relationships w/ President and gov) -​ Introducing new rules overnight → chaos and confusion (door in the face) ECONOMIC GROWTH (1990-2010) UK: -​ Moderate stable growth w/ occasional recessions -​ Mixed economy: welfare support + free market enterprises Good student who occasionally gets dips in their grade during hard exams RUSSIA: -​ 1990s: economic collapse post USSR collapse due to shock therapy -​ 2000s: rapid economic growth and notoriety because of oil and gas Generally a bad student (especially at first) but then does super well in their favorite subject and that gets them into like Harvard or something NEW POLITICAL MOVEMENTS UK: NEW LABOR  -​ Tony Blair modernized the labor party through making it more centrist and focused on economic liberalization + social justice RUSSIA: -​ Dominant party (independent party) under Putin -​ Promotes strong state control and suppresses opposition MINOR POLITICAL PARTIES UK RUSSIA: -​ Minor parties face institutional barriers because large parties dominate -​ Very hard to challenge united russia INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNANCE HOUSE OF LORDS VS FEDERATION COUNCIL JUDICIARY: -​ UK: courts uphold laws however gov has final say -​ Russia: judiciary heavily influenced by President which limits independence In the UK, a teacher follows the rulebook strictly, in Russia the teacher changes the rule at their own discretion KEY CHALLENGES SHARED CHALLENGES: -​ Regional autonomy: -​ UK: scotland wants independence (SNP) -​ Russia: Chechnya resists central control RUSSIA-SPECIFIC: -​ Corruption: -​ Lack of checks and balances for a fair government with lack of authoritarian governance UNIQUE FEATURES OF RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT: 1)​ VERTICAL of POWER: centralized authority under Putin. Even though it’s technically a democracy he is so terrifying to people, and probably lobbying a ton so whatever he says goes ☠️ 2)​ SILOVIKI: former security officers hold key government positions 3)​ NGOS: very limited, strict government regulations (basically making it not an NGO ) RESOURCE CURSE IN RUSSIA: over reliance on natural resources (oil and gas) leads to economic vulnerability, especially when most of their notoriety and relevance comes from that -​ IMPACT: when prices drop, economy suffers → people suffer A school fundraiser relies only on selling cookies, and they get majority of their income from this one cookie seller, but then he wants to lose weight so he stops buying cookies and now they entire school is suffering M. GORBACHEV = last communist party of the USSR (1985-91) ; implemented GLASNOST (openness) and PERESTROIKA (reconstruction) ; president