Countries like China, Myanmar, Cuba, and Iran all employ a form of Authoritarian political system, where control is held by a single political ruler or a small group. Even though todays governments for these countries are leaning closer and closer to more democratic ideals and less authoritative ones they still play heavy roles on their citizen’s daily lives. Most if not all Authoritarian governments do not permit freedom of speech and look to control every aspect of daily lives of their citizens. Under Authoritarian rule the existence of individualism, liberalism, democracy, libertarianism and anarchism are heavily watched out for, controlled, and often severely punished. Many of the issues that have risen from authoritarian governments have …show more content…
One of the key points in history where sectarianism starts to become more prevalent and useful is after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. The Saudi’s were fearful of Iran’s Shi’ite government and ultimately feared that reform would remove them from power or destroy their government. The fear of democracy for Saudis pushed them to support a Sunni militant group known as the mujahedeen in Afghanistan during the occupation of Soviet Russia. With weapons training from the west and money from the Saudis the Mujahedeen attracted Radical Islamists like Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri a concoction that later evolves in to Al Qaida which was one hundred percent anti Shia. In the 1980s Iran and Iraq go to war where Iraq is being backed by the Saudis and Kuwait. The Conflict lasts a total of eight years and ends on the 18 of July 1988 when Iran is invaded in April of 1988 by a large scale armored Iraqi force they realize their defeat and accept UN resolution [4]. Following the death of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989 a newer, younger breed of politician appears in 1990 in the forms of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami providing a reinvigoration to international diplomatic relations which ushered a sort of cease fire throughout the 1990s. Following the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 with the removal of Saddam and his office created a huge power gap or shift in the regional balance of power. This power imbalance provided many Shi’ite Islamist parties that were sympathetic to the Iran Iraq conflict and where clearly anti Sunni the opportunity to rise in government. Which in turn only fueled the turmoil between Sunnis/Shias. Later in 2011 there is an Arab Spring which marks another significant point in Sunni/Shia relations and a sort of loosening on the grip of authoritative figures. By knowing
The fights among Sunni and Shia or Shiite Muslims has been a historical mastery that covered by political authorities. These authorities want to keep up the huge split among Muslims for politician reasons and minor disagreements of Islamic understanding. Therefore, the whole world notes the conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslim which have caused the death of millions sine the begging of the conflict.
There are three essential forms of opposing the totalitarian system: covert passive resistance, overt non-violent protest, and armed struggle. The first form of activity results, in a way, from a combination of utilitarian calculating and axiological considerations. The oppositionists may cooperate with the régime and publicly countenance it, while at the same time they venture to take action in order to liberalize the system and take the edge off the dictatorship, whenever this is possible, i.e., not noticed by the authorities, legitimate, or profitable in view of the mildness of the punishment faced by the offenders. Both individuals and institutions may follow this pattern. Under the Communist rule in Eastern Europe, even persons holding publ...
A totalitarian government is place that no person should ever be forced to live in because this type of government controls almost every aspect of its citizens’ lives. The dictators controlling these kinds of government’s take away people’s basic human rights, brainwash kids into showing no loyalty towards their families, and imprison or execute all who might be a remote threat to their party. The government then controls the remaining population with the fear of being arrested by secret state police regardless if they have committed, or planned to commit, a crime. The leaders of these societies have no regard for the wellbeing of anybody but themselves, and once they come to power, it is usually too late to stop what happens next.
Iran is the only country in the world to have completely and truly succeeded in creating an islamic state using political Islam. The modern western tendency to separate church and state is frowned upon there, Islam is believed to be an integral part of politics, a way of life. This is evident through the 1979 Iranian revolution and institution of the Ayatollah Khomeini.
Over the course of the last century, the Islamic Republic of Iran (formerly known as Persia) has seen colonialism, the end of a dynasty, the installation of a government by a foreign power, and just over three decades ago, the popular uprising and a cleric-led revolution. These events preceded what could be considered the world’s first Islamic state, as politics and fundamentalist religion are inextricably linked in contemporary Iran. Looking at Iran from the mid 1940’s until the present day, one can trace the path that led to the rise of fundamental Islam in Iran in three distinct periods. The first is that which began with the rise of secular nationalism and the decline of Islam. In the second, the secular, western-friendly government eventually gave way to the Islamic revival in the form of a government takeover by hard-line clerics and disillusioned, fundamentalist youth; both motivated and led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Rule of Iran by these fundamentalist clerics then led to the formation of the fundamentalist Islamic theocracy that governs present-day Iran. The current government has some democratic appearances, but all real power is in the hands of the supreme leader, an Ayatollah who is chosen by the Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics chosen by the Guardian Council. With the Iranian Revolution, political Islam was born, with the fundamentalists holding the reins of power in Iran to the present day.
The 1979 Iranian revolution is a revolution that changed the country of Iran for the better.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the seemingly unstoppable rise of colonial power called for the modernization of Middle Eastern countries, particularly in Iran and Egypt. In their respective pursuits of building a modern nation-state, Reza Shah of Iran and Ataturk of Egypt, similarly implemented policies of political centralization, economic development, and secularization. Ultimately, modernization proved more viable in Turkey than in Reza Shah’s Iran due to the precedents characteristic of the Ottoman Empire inherited by Ataturk. Specifically, the endurance of successful westernization policies in Turkey, contrasted by their disintegration in Iran, can be equated to the different preexisting economic, social, and political conditions
In her book, Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, Anne Applebaum delves into the history of authoritarianism and the conditions that promote it today. She explains how countries now have the conditions that promote authoritarianism, how clercs and new forms of media contribute to these conditions, and how conditions in the United States parallel those of some authoritarian states. Applebaum starts by discussing the conditions for authoritarianism that have been seen in a variety of countries across the world. Applebaum states that around a third of a country’s population has an “authoritarian predisposition.” Authoritarianism appeals to those who are scared of complexity and change.
Iran had suffered and prospered through many different rises of power in the 20th century; these changes caused anger in the Iranian people. The time leading up to the revolution was characterized a fight for power between the Western influences and the Islamic people. In 1979 the people of the Iran led by Ruhollah Khomeini considered to be an enemy of the state. He was born in about 1900 in the town of Khomein. He was raised in the tradition of Shiite Islam; because of the death of his father he became more spiritual and faithful. On March 31, 1961, Ayatollah Boroujerdi died and Khomeini was in a position to take up the mantle left by the late religious leader. After publishing his writings on Islamic science and doctrines, many Shi'ite Iranians began to see Khomeini as Marja-e Taqlid (Biography channel website ). He wanted to start the first “government of God” (Berlatsky 26). He was thought to be a threat to the Shah decided that they had enough of his attempts to overthrow the government; he had been exiled for 14 years. With him as the leader of the Islamic uprising people flocked to his side to support. The placement of he Shah by America in the 1960’s was their final straw. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 has been described as one of the most notable events of the twentieth century; it began a period of time in which the Islamic culture was fighting against the modernization in many nations where Islam was the main religion. There is a huge difference between an unsuccessful revolution in which the beginners of the revolution are diminished and their demands not met. But when it is look at, the Iranian Revolution is seen as successful revolution in which all the needs of fight...
In February of 1979, Muhammad Reza Shah was in exile and Ayatollah Khomeini arrived as the triumphant leader of a revolution. Throughout the remainder of the year, the execution of former prime ministers, SAVAK agents, and high- ranking military officers took place. Muhammad Reza Shah’s regime was no longer in power and the Iranian Revolution was in full effect, but what caused this rapid shift of power? In the years leading up to the revolution, the Shah implemented the White Revolution in attempts to modernize Iran. The White Revolution was an attempt to turn Iran into an economic power, however; it went against many of the core beliefs of Islam. The White revolution of the 1960’s and 1970’s caused the Iranian revolution because it marginalized
China is a communist country, whose citizens face many difficult situations while trying to fight for their human rights. According to the “Freedom Rankings” from the database CountryWatch, China is not a free country. Specifically, the Political Rights and Civil Liberties are in their maximum numbers; this means that these rights are confiscated from the people. Therefore, freedoms of press, expression, speech, religion, and movement are all severely limited in China. The government has also kept a close watch on art in China.
Freedom and equality are intertwined with one another. Freedom is defined as the custom of being free, political independence, and the possession of civil rights. When reflecting upon the history of the twentieth century many people all over the world were not afforded the luxury of being born with freedom or born with equal rights. In most cases, those people were often oppressed or subjugated by various forms of systematic state sponsored authoritarianism and terror. In order to receive the freedom necessary to survive and the equality required to live a happy and successful life the oppressed people had to take action. Often times the action took on various forms such as, revolts or nonviolent campaigns. Because the governments reliance on authoritarianism and terror to control their citizens, often times revolts and/or nonviolent campaigns were the consequence. Therefore, any advances towards gaining freedom and equality cannot happen without some form of systematic state-sponsored authoritarianism and terror taking place first. It is no coincidence because the two phenomena are linked.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly known as Iran or Persia, was crowded with a young generation looking for full freedom against the Shah. Persia, once as a powerful country with vast oil resources, soon became a vulnerable nation, ready to accept a new leader to guide them. The people were ready for change, but were the changes they got the changes they were looking for. The people wanted freedom against the shah, (For generations Iran was ruled by Kings) who allowed some freedoms, but it was somewhat limited. The people wanted freedom of speech, so that the press could freely publish their own opinions. They wanted to get rid of a law that made all eighteen-year-old males attend two years of military service unless they are accepted to a university, which would allow them attend the army later as a service worker. The shah was anti-religious, which was not ideal for many of the civilians in Iran. Savak (Secret organization of Iran) was accused of many anti – human rights actions, such as killing students who protested and immediately jailing press members for inappropriate conduct. A major problem was that the shah was a “puppet” of the United States many say, because the Shah would constantly confer with the U.S. of all of his decisions as ruler. The after affects of the revolution resulted in similar conditions, however. Human rights are horrible, the government limits all freedoms, the economy has suffered greatly, average salaries are hard to live with, most of the educated people in Iran fled to foreign countries, the quality of public schools is horrible, and the government still controls all television broadcasts and keeps a watchful eye on the newspapers. From bad to worse is what many people feel has become of Iran, but the people are ready for a real change.
Rourke (2008) points out that the form of government most common throughout the history of man was authoritarian; leaders were an individual or group of people who exercised control. The people these leaders ruled had little opportunity to contribute to t...
Gary King, Jennifer Pan, Margarete E. Roberts. "How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression." American Political Science Review May 2013: 326-33. Article.