1.6 Change in Power and Authority
Political power and authority can change gradually or suddenly. The AP Comparative Government CED focuses on how regimes and governments gain, lose, and replace authority through rules, institutions, and political action.
A regime changes when the fundamental rules and institutions of politics are replaced. Regime change can happen suddenly through coups or revolutions, or incrementally through elections and institutional change that gradually replace core political rules. Revolutions typically involve large-scale popular support for changing the political system.
Democratic and Authoritarian Change
Democratic regimes usually maintain sovereignty with less reliance on coercive power because leaders claim authority through elections, constitutions, rule of law, and citizen consent. If leaders lose elections, power can transfer peacefully without replacing the entire regime.
Authoritarian regimes often rely more heavily on coercion, dominant parties, military force, patronage, censorship, or revolutionary ideology. Change may still occur, but it is more likely to involve elite succession, controlled appointments, coups, or popular uprisings.
A regime's democratic or authoritarian character shapes how it uses power to maintain sovereignty: democratic regimes usually preserve sovereignty with less force because legitimacy comes from elections, constitutions, and citizen consent, while authoritarian regimes typically depend on greater coercion to preserve control and defend sovereignty.
Ways Power Changes
Governments usually change more frequently and more easily than regimes, most often through relatively peaceful processes such as elections, appointments, and lines of succession within the existing political system. Governments can also change through:
- coups led by military or elite actors
- revolutions with broad population support
- constitutional or institutional reforms
The key AP distinction is between a change in government and a change in regime. A new prime minister or president may represent a government change. A revolution or coup that rewrites political rules can represent regime change.
Country Examples
Iran's 1979 Revolution replaced the Pahlavi monarchy with an Islamic republic, changing both the source of authority and the structure of the regime. Nigeria has experienced military coups and transitions between military and civilian rule, showing how violent or elite-led change can reshape authority.
When comparing countries, explain the mechanism of change and the source of authority that replaced the old one. A strong answer connects the event to institutions, legitimacy, sovereignty, and the role of citizens or elites.