UNIT 1: POLITICAL SYSTEMS, REGIMES, AND GOVERNMENTS
| Concept | China | Iran | Mexico | Nigeria | Russia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regime Type | Authoritarian one-party state | Theocratic Islamic Republic | Federal presidential democracy | Federal presidential democracy | Competitive authoritarian/"managed democracy" | Parliamentary democracy |
| Political Evolution | Communist revolution (1949); market reforms under Deng (1978); Xi Jinping consolidation (2012-present) | Constitutional monarchy to Islamic Republic after 1979 Revolution | One-party dominance (PRI, 1929-2000) to multiparty democracy | Military rule to civilian rule (1999); multiparty democracy with two main parties | Soviet communism to brief democratic opening (1990s); Putin's centralizing authoritarianism (2000-present) | Gradual evolution from monarchy to parliamentary sovereignty |
| Federal/Unitary | Unitary with centralized control | Unitary with some provincial administration | Federal (31 states + Mexico City) | Federal (36 states) | Federal in name; centralized in practice | Unitary with devolution to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland |
| Legitimacy Sources | Economic growth; nationalism; communist ideology; historical stability | Islamic principles; elections; revolutionary legacy | Democratic elections; nationalism; constitutional tradition | Elections; federalism; resource wealth; military acceptance | Strong leadership; national pride; stability after 1990s chaos; resource wealth | Constitutional tradition; democratic elections; monarchy; rule of law |
| Threats to Stability | Regional inequality; ethnic tensions; corruption; slowing growth | Economic sanctions; youth dissatisfaction; factional conflicts; protests | Drug cartels; corruption; inequality; historical electoral fraud | Ethnic/religious conflicts; Boko Haram; oil-related militancy; corruption | Economic sanctions; opposition; regional separatism; demographic decline | Brexit implementation; Scottish independence; Northern Ireland status; regional inequality |
UNIT 2: POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
| Concept | China | Iran | Mexico | Nigeria | Russia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive System | Communist Party Secretary General & President (Xi Jinping); Premier as head of government | Supreme Leader (religious authority); elected President (administrative) | Strong president (head of state/government); 6-year term with no reelection | Strong president (head of state/government); 4-year term, limited to 2 terms | Super-presidential system; President with extensive powers; Prime Minister subordinate | Constitutional monarchy; Prime Minister as head of government; Monarch as ceremonial head of state |
| Legislative Structure | National People's Congress (unicameral, rubber-stamp); Standing Committee holds actual power | Majles (unicameral parliament); Guardian Council reviews legislation | Bicameral: Chamber of Deputies and Senate; mixed electoral system | Bicameral: House of Representatives and Senate; geographically distributed | Bicameral: State Duma (lower) and Federation Council (upper) | Bicameral: House of Commons (elected) and House of Lords (appointed) |
| Judicial Independence | Limited; subordinate to Communist Party | Limited; based on Sharia law; controlled by Supreme Leader | Moderate; reforms improving independence but corruption remains | Limited; corruption issues though formal independence | Limited; serves regime interests; controlled appointments | Strong; independent judiciary with life tenure |
| Checks on Executive | Minimal; party discipline and elite politics | Guardian Council; Assembly of Experts can remove Supreme Leader | Legislature can reject appointments; Supreme Court judicial review | Legislature; Supreme Court; federalism | Weak in practice; legislature and courts largely loyal | Parliament can remove PM through no-confidence vote; courts check government power |
UNIT 3: POLITICAL CULTURE AND PARTICIPATION
| Concept | China | Iran | Mexico | Nigeria | Russia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Society | Heavily restricted; controlled by party | Limited; religious organizations permitted; political NGOs restricted | Vibrant; human rights groups, indigenous rights groups, anti-corruption movements | Growing; religious groups, ethnic associations, anti-corruption groups | Controlled; independent groups face restrictions; GONGOs common | Robust; diverse NGOs, charities, advocacy groups |
| Political Culture | Confucian values; socialist ideology; collective orientation; emphasis on stability | Islamic values; revolutionary ideology; Persian nationalism; traditional conservatism | Revolutionary nationalism; democratic values; Catholic influence; distrust of institutions | Ethnic/religious identities; federalism; military legacy; regional loyalties | Strong state tradition; personalized leadership; nationalism; Soviet legacy | Democratic traditions; rule of law; individualism; constitutional respect |
| Political Participation | Limited; local elections only; party membership as participation channel | Constrained; controlled elections; Guardian Council vets candidates | Regular elections; 60-65% turnout; increasing protest activity | Regular elections with historic manipulation; ethnic/regional voting patterns | Managed elections; limited opposition access; protests occasionally tolerated | Regular elections; multiple parties; declining turnout; referendums for major issues |
| Civil Rights/Liberties | Severely restricted; censorship; religious/ethnic repression | Limited; religious-based restrictions; gender segregation; political repression | Generally protected but implementation gaps; violence against journalists; indigenous rights issues | Constitutional protections but implementation failures; religious conflicts; corruption undermines rights | Increasingly restricted; media control; opposition repression; selective prosecution | Strongly protected but tensions around surveillance, anti-terrorism, immigration |
| Key Cleavages | Urban/rural; coastal/interior; Han/ethnic minorities | Religious (conservative/reformist); urban/rural; ethnic Persian/minorities | Regional (north/south); class; indigenous/mestizo; urban/rural | Religious (Muslim north/Christian south); ethnic (250+ groups); regional (north/south/delta) | Ethnic Russian/minorities; urban/rural; class-based; center/periphery | Class; regional (north/south); national identities (English/Scottish/Welsh/Northern Irish) |
UNIT 4: PARTY AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS
| Concept | China | Iran | Mexico | Nigeria | Russia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral System | No direct national elections; indirect NPC selection | Majoritarian presidential elections; single/multi-member districts for Majles; Guardian Council vets candidates | Mixed system: plurality districts and proportional representation; presidential plurality win | First-past-the-post for legislature; president must win plurality and 25% in 2/3 of states | Mixed system: single-member districts and proportional representation with 5% threshold | First-past-the-post for Commons; unelected Lords |
| Party System | One-party dominance (CCP); eight minor approved parties with no power | Informal factions rather than formal parties; conservative/reformist blocs | Multiparty: PRI (centrist), PAN (right), MORENA (left), PRD (left) | Two dominant parties: PDP and APC; numerous smaller parties | Dominant party (United Russia) with controlled opposition parties | Two-party dominant (Conservative and Labour) with smaller parties (Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens) |
| Party Influence | CCP controls all institutions; membership required for advancement | Religious factions more important than parties; clerical networks | Party discipline in legislature; strong party organizations; coalition building | Strong ethnic/regional basis; frequent defections; patronage networks | United Russia as "party of power"; opposition parties controlled/marginalized | Strong party discipline; whip system; career advancement tied to party |
| Social Movements | Highly restricted; environmental protests tolerated if not anti-regime | Green Movement (electoral reform); women's rights movements heavily suppressed | Zapatistas (indigenous rights); anti-violence movements; student movements | MOSOP (Ogoni rights); MEND (Niger Delta); Bring Back Our Girls; End SARS | Anti-corruption protests; limited environmental activism; controlled civil society | Environmental movements; anti-austerity groups; Brexit-related movements |
UNIT 5: POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES
| Concept | China | Iran | Mexico | Nigeria | Russia | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Liberalization | Market socialism; SEZs; state-controlled capitalism; dominance of SOEs | Limited; sanctions-constrained; Revolutionary Guards control key sectors | Extensive: NAFTA/USMCA, privatization, reduced tariffs, energy reform | Partial: privatization with corruption; oil dependency; informal economy | State capitalism; strategic sectors (oil, gas) under state control; oligarch system | Early adopter; Thatcher-era privatization; financial sector prominence; welfare state reduction |
| Globalization Impact | Export-oriented growth; WTO membership; largest manufacturing power; Belt and Road Initiative | Isolated due to sanctions; limited integration; black market prominence | Integrated with North America; manufacturing exports; remittances from US; tourism | Oil exports; limited manufacturing; food imports; diaspora remittances | Resource exports (oil, gas); weapons exports; limited value-added production | Service economy; financial hub; EU integration (pre-Brexit); multinational corporations |
| Demographic Changes | Aging population; rural-to-urban migration; one-child policy legacy; gender imbalance | Young population; high education levels; brain drain; urbanization | Slowing population growth; migration to US and northern Mexico; aging population beginning | Rapid population growth; youth bulge; rural-to-urban migration; religious demographic shifts | Population decline; brain drain; aging population; low birth rates | Aging population; immigration controversies; urbanization; brain drain from certain regions |
| Natural Resources | Limited per capita; resource importer; environmental challenges; water scarcity | Oil and gas dependent; "resource curse" features; sanctions constraints | Oil exporter (PEMEX); mining; energy reforms allowing private investment; environmental concerns | Oil-dependent economy; "resource curse"; Niger Delta pollution; corruption in resource management | Major oil and gas exporter; "resource curse"; sanctions on energy sector; oligarch control | North Sea oil (declining); transition from coal; resource importer; renewable energy growth |
| International Organizations | BRICS; UN Security Council; SCO; RCEP; strategic use of international institutions | Limited due to sanctions; regional cooperation with Russia, China; conflict with IAEA | USMCA; Pacific Alliance; OECD; G20; WTO | ECOWAS; African Union; OPEC; Commonwealth; UN participation | BRICS; Eurasian Economic Union; UN Security Council; limited by sanctions | NATO; G7; Commonwealth; Previously EU; UN Security Council |