People and Politics Worldwide
Midterm Review Sheet

The Diamond Thesis
What is it?  Be able to describe it in your own words and to apply it to the political and economic development of the US, Western Europe (UK)
and Slavic Europe (Russia),

Concepts you should be able to define:
The State

 
Political Culture

 
Liberalism

 
Welfare States

 
Command or Centrally Planned Economies

 
Marxist-Leninism

 
Political Economy

 
Colonialism

 
Globalization

 
Ethnocentrism

Geography:  Europe

Regional Comparisons: Western Europe vs. Eastern Europe
Natural resources, geography

Political history/development

Political culture

Political institutions 

 

Colonialism and Globalization
Compare colonialism and globalization; define each

What is similar and different about them?

Who benefited from colonialism, who benefits from globalization, who suffered under colonialism, who suffers under globalization today?

The European Union
What is it?

When and why did it come into being?

List the original six members

Be able to name at least two recent member (i.e., admitted during last year's expansion)

Which West European countries are not members?
 

Political Institutions:
Compare presidential and parliamentary systems in terms of:
 executive power

 legislative power

 governmental efficiency

 party discipline

 party type

 how power changes hands

Describe the differences among the US, French and Russian presidencies.  What do these reveal about American and Russian political culture?

 
 Be able to characterize each country we studied as presidential or parliamentary systems

Know who is the top dog in each country, his/her political party

Two-party vs. multi-party systems
What kinds of election rules tend to produce two party systems?

What kinds of elections rules tend to produce multi-party systems?

What kinds of parties are most successful in two-party systems?

Political Culture:
The US

The UK

France

Germany

Russia