Before discussing the specific characteristics of the governments of the UK, Lukashenka’s Belarus and Hitler’s Germany as an example of three different types of political regimes, we are going to give a description of the general features of a constitutional democracy, an authoritarian state, and a totalitarian state. Constitutional democracy “Democracy is government of, by, and for the people. It is government of a community in which all citizens, rather than favored individuals or groups, have the right and opportunity to participate.
In a constitutional democracy the authority of the majority is limited by legal and institutional means so that the rights of individuals and minorities are respected. This is the form of democracy practiced in Germany, Israel, Japan, the United States, and other countries. ” (Constitutional Democracy) Constitutional democracy is characterized by popular sovereignty, limited powers of government, institutional and procedural limitations on powers (separated and shared powers, checks and balances, due process of law, leadership succession through elections). The fundamental values of constitutional democracy reflect a paramount concern with human dignity and the worth and value of each individual. ” This includes basic rights, freedom of conscience and expression, privacy and civil society, justice (distributive, corrective, procedural), equality (political, economic and equality before law).
(Constitutional Democracy)Authoritarian regimes In authoritarian regimes (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Singapore, Belarus, Syria, Iran, China, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, etc) “citizens are subject to state authority in many aspects of their lives. An authoritarian state “enforces strong and sometimes oppressive measures” against its citizens and political opposition, “generally without attempts at gaining their consent and often not allowing feedback on its policies. ” The leadership of an authoritarian regime is ruled by one ruler or by “an elite group” whose primary aim is to stay in power. Authoritarian regimes “typically grant wide “Page # 2” powers to law enforcement agencies” which sometimes leads to “a so-called police state.
” Laws may exist but they are “routinely ignored, and the actions of the government are at the whim of the leadership. Authoritarian governments are usually prone to corruption.Among other characteristics of an authoritarian state are press censorship, control over the legal system and the economy. (Authoritarianism) Totalitarian regimes A totalitarian regime is a regime “in which the state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private behavior. ” Totalitarian regimes mobilize entire populations in support of the state and a political ideology, and do not tolerate activities by individuals or groups such as labor unions, churches, and political parties that are not directed toward the state’s goals.They maintain themselves in power by means of secret police, propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, regulation, and restriction of free discussion and criticism, and widespread use of terror tactics.
” (Totalitarianism) Totalitarian regimes are characterized by “an elaborating guiding ideology; a single mass party typically led by a dictator; a system of terror; a monopoly of the means of communication and physical force; and central direction and control of the economy through state planning”. In a totalitarian state “no individual or institution is autonomous from state’s all-encompassing ideology”.Most prominent totalitarian regimes were established in the XX century in Italy under Mussolini, in Germany under Hitler, and in the Soviet Union under Stalin. (Totalitarianism) Constitutional democracy in the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is “a constitutional monarchy, with executive power exercised by the Government drawn from Parliament, headed by the Prime Minister”. The Prime Minister, who is “the leader of the party with the majority of seats in the House of Commons”, appoints “other Ministers from Parliament, who together form the Cabinet”.
The Prime Minister (currently Tony Blair) is the head of government and the Monarch (currently “Page # 3” Queen Elizabeth II) is Head of State. The government is “answerable and accountable to the House of Commons”. (United Kingdom) The constitution of the UK is “un-codified and partially unwritten”; “unwritten constitutional conventions are used extensively”. It is “based on the principle that Parliament is the ultimate sovereign body in the country”. The monarch has “extensive theoretical powers, but his or her role is mainly” ceremonial.
The monarch is an integral part of Parliament” whose Act “does not become law until it has been signed by the Queen”. (United Kingdom) Parliament is “the ultimate legislative authority” in the UK. “It is bicameral, composed of the elected House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords, whose members are mostly appointed. ” (United Kingdom) “In addition to the House of Commons, Scotland now has its own parliament and Wales and Northern Ireland have national assemblies. ” (Politics of the United Kingdom) The Labour Party and Conservative Party are the two largest political parties in the UK.
The Liberal Democrats have re-emerged in the last 20 years as a large third party. “The electoral system used for general elections is first-past-the-post. ” (United Kingdom) Perhaps one of the biggest weaknesses of the political system in the UK is the process of decision-making which is typical of all democracies around the world. “Democratic decision-making in a large, complex society can be a messy, gruelling, and time-consuming process. ” But only a government “resting upon the consent of the governed can speak and act with a confidence and authority”, as well as “overcome severe economic hardship, reconcile social and ethnic division”.
Authoritarian regime in Lukashenka’s Belarus Belarus under President Lukashenka’s rule has been increasingly labelled as “Europe’s last dictatorship”. (Belarus) Since assuming office in 1994 Alexander Lukashenka “has consolidated power steadily”. “He used a November 1996 referendum to amend the 1994 Constitution in order to broaden his powers and illegally extend his term in office. ” Parliamentary and presidential elections “Page # 4” in 2000, 2001 and 2004 “failed to meet international standards for democratic elections”.After a fraudulent referendum in 2004 Lukashenka became “president for life”.
(Politics of Belarus) The government in Belarus is “criticized for human rights violations and its actions against NGOs, independent journalists, national minorities and opposition politicians”. “During the rule of the current administration in Belarus, there have been several cases of persecution, including the disappearance or death of prominent opposition leaders and independent journalists. ” (Belarus) “Government restriction on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, religions and movement all increased in 2001.The right to a free press is restricted “through near-monopolies on the means of production of newsprint” and “means of distribution on national level broadcast media” (television and radio). (Politics of Belarus) Lukashenka launched Belarus “on the path of “market socialism” in 1995. During his rule, administrative controls were re-imposed “over prices and currency exchange rates” and “the state’s right to intervene in the management of private enterprise”; businesses have been subject to pressures from central and local governments”.
At present the economy of Belarus remains relatively isolated from the West. Currently many people in Belarus are underemployed and about 27 percent of the population are at or below the poverty line. (Belarus) Apart from problems with democracy there are some economic achievements in Belarus: “Lukashenka restored economic ties with Russia and thereby got Belarusian enterprises back on full capacity work schedules”; Belarus is ahead of all other post-Soviet states in per capita output of meat, potatoes, milk, butter, and cooking oil; corruption in Belarus remains relatively low compared to other CIS countries. Grigory, Ioffe Understanding Belarus: Economy and Political Landscape, Europe-Asia Studies) Totalitarian regime in Hitler’s Germany (1933 – 1945) There were “many characteristics of a totalitarian state” in Hitler’s Germany (1933 – 1945). (Was Hitler’s Germany a Totalitarian State? ) After Hitler came to power in 1933 Germany was turned into a one-party state (the National Socialist German Workers Party (or Nazi Party). Most “Page # 5” civil liberties were suspended; habeas corpus and other protective laws were rescinded.
The highly decentralized federal Germany was changed into a centralized state, state parliaments were disbanded and sovereign rights of the states were transferred to the Reich central government. (Nazi Germany) The Radio and newspapers under government control were used to convince the public that Hitler and the party had the overwhelming support of the masses. The news was engineered to show successes brought about by the party’s policies”. The Gestapo was used by the Nazis “to directly control German society”.Many political opponents (communists, socialists) were “put in prison camps where they were severely mistreated, and many tortured and killed”. (Nazi Germany) One of the first actions of Hitler’s “economic policy was to destroy the trade unions and impose strict wage controls”.
“New policies also limited imports of consumer goods” and focused on producing exports. Extended currency controls led to “a considerable overvaluation of the Reichsmark”. (Nazi Germany) The Nazis “did not abolish private business corporations but felt it sufficient to secure political control over their operations”.Rubin, Barry Modern Dictators: Third World Coup Makers, Strongmen, and Populist Tyrants) “Industry was closely regulated with quotas and requirements to use domestic resources”.
“The Nazi regime was characterized by political control of every aspect of society in a quest for racial (Aryan, Nordic), social and cultural purity. ” Those considered impure (minority groups such as Jews, Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses and homosexuals) were persecuted and killed.The T-4 Euthanasia Program “killed tens of thousands of disabled and sick Germans” considered as “weak” or “unfit” members of the population. (Nazi Germany) “Through organization and central planning” Hitler and the Nazi Party “accelerated economic development”, cut unemployment dramatically and built a strong army. ” After “the humiliations and traumas of defeat in World War I, Germany “emerged in the 1930s as a proud and powerful world power” (Rubin, Barry Modern Dictators: Third World Coup Makers, Strongmen, and Populist Tyrants).However, Hitler’s regime resulted in death of millions of human beings caused by the Nazis’ insane crimes and wars all over Europe.
“Page # 6” If I were to be dropped at random somewhere in the world, I would hope to be dropped into a country with a democratic government. I prefer a democratic state because I know that only then my basic economic and social rights (such as employment, health, education, religion, etc) will be protected.Only a constitutional democracy promotes political equality (I am entitled to participate in the political system), equality before law (I will not be discriminated on the basis of such criteria as gender, age, race, ethnicity, etc), and economic equality (I will have the right to an equal opportunity to improve my material wellbeing). And what is more important, unlike in authoritarian or totalitarian states, in a democratic state I will never be persecuted for what I think or say.
