Unit Examination 1: Study Guide

1. This exam will be closed book and notes. It will contain a mix of short answer questions and an essay question.
2. You must submit a blank blue book (available at the bookstore) during the review session in order to take the exam.
3. Articles assigned out of the Economist and the discussion of current events in class are fair game for short answer questions.

Key Terms and Concepts

The following are the sorts of terms and concepts you are expected to be familiar with:
 

agents of socialization  American exceptionalism (US)  authoritarianism  Biafra (NIG) capitalism  Celtic fringe (GB)  civil society  cleavage (cross-cutting vs. reinforcing)  Confucianism  country  democracy divine right of kings equality: procedural vs. substantive  gender gap (US)  groupism (JPN) Hausa/Igbo/Youuba (NIG) historical materialism (RUS) industrialization legitimacy  liberalism  Magna Carta mandate of heaven Marxism-Leninism-Communism (RUS) Meiji Restoration (JPN)  melting pot (US)  nation

nationalism  nested political relationships patron client relations perestroika/glasnost (RUS) pluralism  political culture  political recruitment  political socialization  polity  Reich: Second and Third (GER) republicanism rule: direct/indirect Settlement Act (GB) socialism  state  state autonomy  state capacity  statements: positive vs. normative  statism  strong state/weak state  Tokugawa Period (JPN)  transformations Waves: First, Second, Third  Weimar Republic (GER)  Worlds: First, Second, Third

Comparative Issues

You should be familiar enough with the following issues to be able to make comparisons between our six case study polities (Great Britain, the United States, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, and Russia).

1. Basic facts:  where is the country located?, what surrounds it?, and what is its capital?, who are its leaders?

 
2. Formative factors: what are they and what impact have they have on the polity?

 
3. Political culture: what are the principal ties that bind the polity together and what are the most important cleavages?

 

One of the following questions will appear on the examination.

1. The United States is frequently considered "exceptional"; that is, unlike any other polity.  Looking at the formative factors and political culture of the US in relation to other advanced democracies, such as Great Britain, German and Japan, do you see any evidence to support the argument of American exceptionalism?
   
   
2. Describe the general patterns exhibited by the first, second, and thrid wave democracies we are studying in class with respect to the four crucial transformations. Provide evidence to support your conclusions.

 
3. As a newly elected president of Politia, would you rather face a civil society with cross-cutting or reinforcing cleavages?  Why?  What measures could you take to reduce the chances that the cleavages will turn into conflict?

 
4. "The rise of German and Japan over the past century and a half have shown remarkable parallels."  Does your analysis of the formative factors and political culture of these two polities lead you agree or disagree with this statement?  Why?