A Comparison of Democratic and Totalitarian Political Systems - Compare and Contrast Essay Organization Key Sample by homeworkvan

COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY ORGANIZATION KEY SAMPLE

A Comparison and Contrast of Democratic and Totalitarian Political Systems: Compare and Contrast Essay Organization Key Sample

Organization Key

Hook

Background/Summary

Thesis/Restated thesis

Topic sentence

Arguments and Explanations

Takeaway

Explanation

A compare and contrast paper usually follows two patterns of organization. In the first pattern, known as step-by-step method, the similarities and differences are arranged topically. Meaning you identify key points for each paragraph then write about the similarity or difference for the paragraph.

The second pattern known as the block by block method involves having paragraphs that discuss points of similarity, then following it up with paragraphs that discuss points of differences. Essentially, the body paragraphs are arranged into two blocks: the first section discussing the comparisons, and the second section discussing the contrasts. The essay below follows a block by block format.  

A Comparison and Contrast of Democratic and Totalitarian Political Systems

A political system is a set of formal legal institutions that interact with other nonpolitical systems such as the legal, economic, social and cultural systems. From a sociological perspective, political systems are concerned with who holds the power within the relationship of the state and its citizens and how this power is used. Two common systems that have been used time after time are democracies and totalitarian systems. A democracy is a rule by the people and for the people, which implies participation of both the public and the government in public interest. It is a system in which the majority of the population possesses the right to share in the exercise of sovereign power.  On the other hand, totalitarianism is a system in which the government is controlled by a governing branch of a highly centralized institution characterized by limited mass mobilization and limited pluralism (Gentile, 2004). Democratic and totalitarian political systems are both institutions of authority that demand active and enthusiastic participation from its people; however; the key characteristics that distinguish the two political systems are control of power, degree of participation in politics, the rate of freedom and the economic system.

Difference Block

One of the distinguishing factors between a democracy and totalitarian regime is the control of power whereby democracies rely on the separation of powers whereas totalitarian regimes rely on consolidation of powers. Democracies believe that absolute power corrupts absolutely, such that if the powers of government are not restricted, then there is a risk of tyranny or corruption of powers. For this reason, democratic governments divide their powers into three: the executive, judiciary, and legislature (Khan and Muhammad, 2016). A good example of such a case is the US whereby the the head of state holds the executive power, Congress holds legislative power and the Supreme Court holds the judicial power. By contrast, totalitarian regimes centralize all their power to a single person or a small group of people. With such monopolistic power, totalitarian governments can fully exercise their authorities without limitations. The Soviet Union was a prime example of a totalitarian regime. Adolf Hitler centralized combined all three powers together and had strict control of both the state and society. It is worth noting that some totalitarian government establish institutions that resemble separation of powers, but more often than this is normally an illusion since the powers are actually consolidated in the hands of the regime.  

A democratic regime is characterized by political equality whereas a totalitarian government is characterized by political inequality. Democracies typically pursue laws that allow free formulation of political preferences and free competition for political power. The ruling government, therefore, acquires its ruling power and legitimacy through the law. According to Przeworski, Stokes, and Manin (1999), elections give the public a chance to have a say in the political process and decisions. Democratic systems conduct regular elections after every five to ten years and this allows people to express their confidence in certain parties and influence the political scene in the years to come. Provided one has attained the age of majority, everyone’s vote is equal regardless of race or socioeconomic status. By contrast, totalitarian regimes limit the political participation in which their citizens can engage in political activities. For most totalitarian regimes, there are no opposition parties, and only certain people have the right to vote, meaning that some people are more influential than others. For totalitarian regimes with opposition parties, the ruling parties are known to manipulate the electoral process in order to repress any opposing parties. Common examples of countries that have political inequality and limited political participation include Egypt, Iran, and Burma.

Another distinguishing factor between a democratic government and a totalitarian one is the extent of freedom it guarantees it citizens. In democracies, the state is expected to protect and guarantee the individual rights and freedoms of its citizens. Ideally, this means that both majority and minority groups equally enjoy their freedoms under the law. Most democratic countries such as the US and Canada rank highly in democracy ratings such as those conducted by Freedom House (“Freedom in the World 2018”). By contrast, totalitarian regimes restrict the freedoms of their citizens including freedom of the press, assembly, and speech. There is no division between the private and the public, and the government can interfere in virtually any aspect of its people’s lives. For the most part, respect for human rights is a subject which is mostly disregarded. A case in point, North Korean government dominates political campaigns and uses its power to limit the space for civil action, control the press and stifle any public criticism.

Another difference between democratic and totalitarian regimes is the mode of production. In most democratic societies, the economic system is based on individualization, such that economic decisions are made by individuals as opposed to being made by collective institutions. This economic system places a strong emphasis on private ownership and a free market. Democratic societies can also be supportive of government regulation to a certain degree; however, most draw the line when government intervention inhibits open competition and free trade. The rationale behind this is that if the state were to intervene, it would do so to serve the interests of the dominant powers and hence distort the market to their favor. By contrast, totalitarian regimes preserve a capitalist mode of production which takes the direction of monopoly capitalism. In monopoly capitalism, monopolization of the companies is maximized, and the competition in the market is reduced. The monopolies that remain in the market are often merged with the government, and through this, they acquire political power as well as economic power. With the help of the government’s use of ideology, competing interests in the market are turned to common national interest. Thus the individualization is crushed.  

Similarities Block

Regardless of the differences, one of the elements that both democratic and totalitarian share is the demand for enthusiastic and active participation of its people. To this end, active participation is evidently one of the key principles of democracy. As much as totalitarian regimes restrict the individual rights and freedom of their people, they can also create active and voluntary participation through ideology. According to Sviličić and Maldini (2013), totalitarian regimes have an elaborate ideology that the ruling leader identifies and uses it as a basis for their policies. For most totalitarian societies, the leader or ruling party typically has a sense of ideology that they share with the citizens. Mass education and mass communication are crucial for mass participation, and therefore propaganda serves for the absorption of the ideology. The use of propaganda is used to mobilize the masses even further by creating and enhancing loyalties and a sense of inclusion to the political sphere. For instance, Adolf Hitler used propaganda during the World War II as a vehicle of political salesmanship in a mass market (O'Shaughnessy, 2009). Art propaganda was used to glorify the state and attack those who were considered the enemy, effectively taking control of public opinion. At the end of the day, the person in power a theological tyrant as opposed to being just a mere individual. This sense of being divine out shadows the perception of being a power hungry ruler.

Democratic and totalitarian governments are also similar in the sense that they are both institutions of authority, and therefore both have the potential to oppress people. As the government, both political systems are in charge of managing their people, and this includes managing the allocation of resources, developing laws and legal procedures and taking charge of the internal and external security of their people. With all this power, both political systems have the potential to oppress their people. As much as a democracy separates its powers, it is possible for a majority of the citizens to elect a single party, who can then overtake and corrupt the system of equality that should be typical of democracies. In the recent past, some governments have disrupted the original system for one that has allowed them to extend their terms. A case in point, the ruling party of Azerbaijan, has been in power since the mid-1990s. For all these years, the country has been controlled by the Aliyev family and its circle of connections, making it difficult to have a democracy whereby the all the citizens have political equality (Sultanova, 2014). In fact, while in office, the government held a controversial referendum that allowed the family to run for another term.

Democracies and totalitarian political systems are very distinct, with the main differences being how power is controlled, the extent of political equality, the freedom that the government guarantees its people and how the economic system is set up. Unlike democracies which separate their powers into the executive, legislature, and judiciary, totalitarian governments consolidate their power and limit the individual rights and freedoms of its people. However, it is also evident that democratic systems are not perfect since they can also be corrupted. The type of political system also influences the economic system whereby democratic system gravitate towards liberal free market economies whereas totalitarian governments gravitate towards monopolist economies. In addition, despite the strict control of state and society, totalitarian governments are able to unite their people through ideology. Both political systems. All things considered, democracy seems to be a better political system because it represents every citizen equally regardless of ethnicity, race, or socioeconomic status. Democratic rule may have its flaws, but it remains to be a very stable form of government.

References

Gentile, E. (2004). Fascism, totalitarianism and political religion: definitions and critical reflections on criticism of an interpretation. Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, 5(3), 326-375.

Khan, M. I., & Muhammad, A. (2016). An Evaluation of separation of powers: A case study of Pakistan (2007-2013). South Asian Studies (1026-678X), 31(1), 257-274.

O'Shaughnessy, N. (2009). Selling Hitler: propaganda and the Nazi brand. Journal of Public Affairs (14723891), 9(1), 55-76.

Przeworski, A., Stokes, S. C., & Manin, B. (Eds.). (1999). Democracy, accountability, and representation (Vol. 2). Cambridge University Press.

Sultanova, S. (2014). Challenging the Aliyev Regime: Political opposition in Azerbaijan. Demokratizatsiya, 22(1), 15-37.

Sviličić, N., & Maldini, P. (2013). Visual persuasion and politics: Ideology and symbols of the totalitarian regimes’–Case study: Hammer and sickle. Collegium antropologicum, 37(2), 569-582.

Freedom in the World 2018. (2018, February 14). Retrieved April 05, 2018, from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2018

Tomasi, J. (2012). Free market fairness. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

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