However, after 1924, the USSR was a clear dictatorship, which meant that the culture was controlled by the élite and is used to portray the elite positively. There is no denying that culture performed a political role in the USSR in this time period, as culture is heavily effected by politics and vice versa, and so in this essay, I will be evaluating the extent to which Soviet culture performed a political role in the USSR in the years 1924-1953. Art performed a highly political role in the USSR in the years 1924-1953. In the early years of the Bolshevik state, experimental and abstract art was allowed under Lenin. This all changed however with the change in leadership after 1929 and the emergence of Stalin as the ‘vozhd’.
One way in which the Communist dictatorship of Lenin and the Tsarist autocracy in the reign of Alexander the III were similar was in the respect of governmental power. In Alexander III's reign the Tsar ruled as an autocrat, which meant he held absolute power and made all the decisions for the country. Lenins' rule echoed this idea in the form of centralization, the political ideology in which power over a country is concentrated into the hands of one group, in this case the ruling Bolshevik party. Therefore, both governments held absolute power over Russia. Where the two governments differ is in the respect of tolerance towards cooperation with others.
For the Qing Dynasty, which came to power in the mid 1640’s, they adopted many ideas and bureaucratic practices from the very government they overthrew, the Ming. Johnathan Spence’s novel, “Treason by the Book”, describes a very highly developed and highly sophisticated method of Bureaucracy is practiced by the Qing Emperor and his council. This example of success and bureaucratic practice can be seen similarly though with the Ottoman Empire as well. For instance, both dynasties had to find a successful way to rule over a vast area of land that wasn’t fortunate enough to be populated by the same ethnic group. China had to incorporate Manchu’s and Han Chinese, while the Ottoman Empire had to incorporate Turks and Muslims, among others.
In Rome and China their administrative techniques used, you can see when looking at the emperors and legislative bodies they had, that in China, the emperors where given the right to rule by the “Mandate of Heaven”(study guide)(pg.130) which made all populous of the empire obey the ruler with out much question, giving him the same obedience that children gave their fathers. (pg.131) In contrast, Roman Consuls were placed into power by either their family right or by appointment of the previous Consul. (pg.149) Conflict grew between those who were appointed by the previous Consul and with those who had the family right making choosing the next emperor very tricky and often caused chaos in the government until things could be resolved. (pg.154) The regions of China and Imperial Rome are similar in the way of the use of bureaucracy,(ch.4) but different through the use of belief systems and in the role of the emperor. Both the empire of Han China and Imperial Rome used a bureaucracy as the form of political control.
He ruled both these lands through a Chinese-styled government, a centralized government that relied on Legalist principles, and imposed Confucian values. Even though the Han dynasty forced their own values on the people they ruled, the outcome was that their
* Federalists- People who supported the Constitution during its adoption. They believed in large national government, weaker state government, and government by the elites. * Anti-Federalists- People who opposed the Constitution during its adoption. They wanted a small national government, strong state government, rule of the common man, and protections of individual liberties. * Define and give an example of separation of powers and checks and balances * Separation of powers- An aspect of the Madisonian Model of government that requires each of the three branched of government to be independent of and to share power with each other so that one cannot control the others.
One of the major differences between the two is Government. Classical Athens and Han China governments were completely different. The government consists of structure of government and the citizens. The Athens had a form of government where the citizens had the rights to vote to decide on the political choices, which is known as democracy. In “the oration of Pericles” (D)” Our form of government is called democracy because it administration is in the hands of the peoples” democracy government of Athens was the first democracy, but it was barley a democracy since only the male citizens controlled the government.
Source A and B are similar in hailing Qui Shihuang as a great ruler and unifier of China and as a harsh ruler who administered severe punishments on those who broke the law and those who pose a threat to his rule. However both sources differ in their emphasis and opinion of Qui Shihuang rule. Both sources, A and B are very similar in their descriptions of Qin Shi Huang. as a powerful and effective ruler who brought about many positive changes to China. Source A mentions about Qui Shihuang introducing laws uniformly throughout China and adopting a single script of writing unifying the people throughout his empire.
However it can be seen that the governments power and authority could be the main reason as to why Chartism failed in short term to achieve it’s many aims. Chartism was the first national movement in Britain which the state feared would become a successful revolution. the chartists had a vast number of followers and supporters but their strength was nothing compared to that of the state. many of the chartist were from working class background and were illiterate and living in poverty. While the government has their constables and professional police which often consisted of the middle class.
Some governments even dole out harsh punishments to individuals who express opinions contrary to the government’s politics. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the author displays what he believed the world would be like in that year. Although the year 1984 has come and gone, some aspects of Orwell’s worldview are still in existence today. Orwell’s perception of government control over the media in the year 1984 mirrors modern day media censorship in the United States as well as in many foreign countries. In George Orwell’s 1984, the government, referred to as the Party, has complete control over its citizens.