Unit 2: Authoritarian regimes in Europe and Asia

unit 2​ : authoritarian regimes in europe and asia   communism in china under mao   What is ​ authoritarianism​ ?   Emphasis on “authority of the state”   ● Non-elected leaders most of the time   ● Leaders are known as dictators     ● Unregulated exercise of political power   ● Limited civil liberties     ○ E.g. lack of freedom of speech/press, strict censorship   ● Lack of opposition   ● Control by coercion or persuasion     Communism - China, Mao   Nazism - Germany, Hitler     what is communism?   The political theory of socialism, which gave rise to ​communism, had been around for hundreds of years by the time a   German philosopher named Karl Marx put pen to paper. Marx, also known as the father of communism, spent most of   his life in exile in Great Britain and France. He wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848, which later served as the   inspiration for the formation of the Communist Party. Communism is also known as "Marxism."     Marx believed that a truly utopian society must be ​ classless and stateless​ . (It should be noted that Marx died well   before any of his theories were put to the test.) Marx's main idea was simple: Free the lower class from poverty and give   the poor a fighting chance. How he believed it should be accomplished, however, was another story. In order to liberate   the lower class, Marx believed that ​ the government would have to control all means of production so that no   one could outdo anyone else by making more money​ .       Marx described three necessary phases toward achieving his idea of utopia.   ● Phase 1: A ​ revolution​ must take place in order to overthrow the existing government. Marx emphasized the   nee​d for total destruction of the existing system in order to move on to Phase 2.   ● Phase 2: A ​ dictator or elite leader​ (or leaders) must gain absolute control over the proletariat. During this   phase, the new government exerts absolute control over the common citizen's personal choices -- including   his or her education, religion, employment and even marriage. Collectivization of property and wealth must   also take place.   ● Phase 3: Achievement of utopia. This phase has never been attained because it requires that all   non-communists be destroyed in order for the Communist Party to achieve supreme equality. In a Marxist   utopia, everyone would happily share property and wealth, free from the restrictions that class-based systems   require. The government would control all means of production so that the one-class system would remain   constant, with no possibility of any middle class citizens rising back to the top.     10 essential tenets of communism:   ● Central banking system   ● Government controlled education   ● Government controlled labor

● Government ownership of transportation and communication vehicles   ● Government ownership of agricultural means and factories   ● Total abolition of private property   ● Property rights confiscation   ● Heavy income tax on everyone   ●