Transcript United States Government - Guthrie Public Schools / Overview

Authoritarian Governments
Key Terms
Muslim, mullah, shah
Find Out
• How does China’s Communist Party control
the government?
• How is the role of religion different in Islamic
governments than in democratic ones?
Authoritarian Governments
Understanding Concepts
Comparative Government What are the
differences and similarities among the governments
of China, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia?
Section Objective
Discuss the traits that authoritarian governments
have in common.
In 1997 the president of China, Jiang
Zemin, visited the White House, the first
such visit to the United States by a
Chinese president since the Tiananmen
Square bloodshed in 1989. The visit
resulted in important commercial
agreements between the United States
and China, but human rights issues
remain unresolved.
I. The People’s Republic of China
(pages 696–698)
A. China became a republic in 1912;
Communists led by Mao Zedong established
the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
B. Today China has two parallel systems of
government; the ceremonial national
government is actually controlled by the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
I. The People’s Republic of China
(pages 696–698)
C. The Chinese government suppresses
criticism, oppresses minorities, and
maintains tight control over sources of
information such as the Internet.
D. The United States has recognized the
Communist government in China since 1979;
however, tensions remain over China’s
human rights abuses.
I. The People’s Republic of China
(pages 696–698)
What do you think the Tiananmen Square
massacre revealed about communism
in China?
It revealed that the country’s Communist
leadership would resist the rising call
for democracy.
II. Communism in Cuba (pages 698–699)
A. In 1959 Fidel Castro established a
Communist dictatorship in Cuba that
maintained tight control over the people.
B. Castro’s policies provoked the unsuccessful
U.S. Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and the
1962 Cuban missile crisis.
C. Since the 1990s, Cuba has experienced a
deep economic crisis caused in part by the
loss of Soviet aid and the U.S.’s 40-year
trade embargo.
II. Communism in Cuba (pages 698–699)
How well do you think American policy
toward Cuba has worked to move Castro
toward democracy?
Answers will vary; students should assess
Cuba’s political climate today.
III. North Korea (page 699)
A. North Korea’s totalitarian government, led
by Kim Jong Il, controls all aspects of the
lives of North Koreans and demands
“absolute devotion” to Kim despite great
national suffering.
B. The United States has tried to limit North
Korea’s development of chemical, biological,
and nuclear weapons.
III. North Korea (page 699)
Why do you think that people are willing
to pledge devotion to a totalitarian leader
despite their own personal suffering?
Answers will vary. Students may mention
tradition or fear of punishment as possible
reasons for supporting totalitarian leaders.
IV. Islamic Governments
(pages 699–701)
A. Muslim secularists believe that religious and
secular law should be kept separate; these
moderate Muslims desire friendly relations
with Western nations.
B. Muslim fundamentalists believe that Islamic
countries should base their legal system
strictly on the law of the Quran; many
fundamentalist Muslims are anti-Western
and see Western culture and society as a
threat to Islamic culture.
IV. Islamic Governments
(pages 699–701)
C. In 1979 Muslim fundamentalists, led by
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, overthrew the
pro-capitalist shah, or king, and forced the
shah to flee to the United States. Since the
Islamic revolution, relations between the
United States and Iran have been strained.
D. Since 1932 the government of Saudi Arabia
has been based on a fundamentalist
interpretation of Islam with no separation of
religion and the state. Despite increasing
Saudi demands for a modern economy and
government, many Americans have accused
the Saudi government of indirectly supporting
terrorist attacks against the United States.
IV. Islamic Governments
(pages 699–701)
How should the United States deal with
authoritarian governments?
Answers will vary. Students should consider the
key political differences.
Checking for Understanding
1. Main Idea Use a graphic organizer like the one
below to profile each of the countries covered in
this section, and indicate whether the country is
moving toward or away from democracy.
Students should list each country and leader
discussed in the section, but their opinions may
vary as to whether the countries are moving
toward or away from democracy. Students
should support their answers with evidence
from the text.
Checking for Understanding
2. Define Muslim, mullah, shah.
A Muslim is a follower of the religion of Islam.
A mullah is a specially trained Islamic
religious leader.
A shah is a king.
Checking for Understanding
3. Identify Politburo, Falun Gong, Bay of Pigs.
The Politburo is an elite group of members of
the Chinese Communist Party that sets national
policy in China.
Falun Gong is a spiritual movement that
combines physical exercise with Buddhism
and Taoism.
The Bay of Pigs was a failed invasion of Cuba
by the United States in an effort to overthrow
Fidel Castro.
Checking for Understanding
4. What events in 1979 returned Iran to
Muslim control?
Fundamentalist Islamists rallied around
Ayatollah Khomeini and forced the shah of Iran
to flee the country; they then set up a new
government based on Islamic principles.
Checking for Understanding
5. Why is China not a democratic nation?
China is not a democratic nation because the
Chinese Communist Party controls the
government through the Politburo.
Critical Thinking
6. Recognizing Ideologies How does the North
Korean government promote its state leader
to the people?
North Korea’s government promotes Kim Jong Il
as the “Great Leader” and demands
unquestioning loyalty to him from the people.
Comparative Government Choose a
country discussed in this section.
Research recent political developments in
this country. Imagine that you are traveling
to the country that you chose. Write a
letter to a friend describing the country, its
government, and the extent to which the
government affects people’s lives.