ASC 202: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE

QUESTION

pls make no high plagiarism and no AI

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION CEDU

RESEARCH BASED ASSIGNMENT

Ms. Karoline Molaeb

GUIDELINES:

1. SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS THROUGH PORTAL FIRST ( TO MAKE SURE THERE HAS BEEN NO PLAIGARISM)

2. Put your course code (full)

3. PRINT YOUR DOCUMENT AND SUBMIT IT TO ME BY HAND WITHIN THE DEADLINE

4. ONLY PRINTED AND SUBMITTED DOCUMENTS WILL BE GRADED

5. DON’T EXCEED COUNT LIMIT

6. WRITE YOUR NAME AND ID CLEALY

7. NAME THE DOCUMENT BY YOUR UNIVERSITY IDs

8. SUBMIT ON TIME

9. DON’T USE AI

10. ANY PLAGIARIZED SUBMISSION IS A ZERO

CASE STUDY:

Sweden (Social Democracy):

Sweden, located in Northern Europe, is renowned for its social democratic model characterized by a robust welfare state and extensive government intervention in the economy. The Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP), founded in 1889, has played a central role in shaping the country’s political landscape. After World War II, Sweden embarked on an ambitious path of social reforms under Prime Minister Tage Erlander, implementing policies such as universal healthcare, comprehensive education, and generous social benefits.

The Swedish model emphasizes equality, social cohesion, and collective responsibility. High taxes fund expansive social programs, ensuring access to healthcare, education, childcare, and unemployment benefits for all citizens. The labor market is characterized by strong unionization, collective bargaining, and a commitment to gender equality.

Despite its success, Sweden faces challenges such as demographic shifts, immigration integration, and fiscal sustainability. In recent years, debates have emerged regarding the efficiency of public services, the role of private sector involvement, and the balance between social protection and economic growth.

United States (Liberalism):

The United States, situated in North America, is a leading proponent of liberalism, emphasizing individual liberty, free markets, and limited government intervention. Rooted in Enlightenment principles, American liberalism traces its origins to the Founding Fathers and the Constitution, which enshrines rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly.

Liberalism in the U.S. has fostered a dynamic economy, technological innovation, and cultural diversity. Free-market capitalism drives entrepreneurship, wealth creation, and global economic dominance. However, the pursuit of individual interests has led to disparities in wealth, healthcare access, and educational opportunities.

American is reflected in the two-party political system, with the Democratic Party advocating for social welfare programs and regulatory oversight, while the Republican Party promotes fiscal conservatism and deregulation. Ideological debates center on issues such as healthcare reform, environmental protection, and social justice.

North Korea (Communism):

North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), is located on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. Established in 1948 under the leadership of Kim Il-sung, North Korea adopted a communist ideology based on Juche, a doctrine of self-reliance, nationalism, and state control.

Communism in North Korea is characterized by central planning, state ownership of the means of production, and strict government control over all aspects of society. The ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) exercises absolute authority, suppressing dissent, and promoting a cult of personality around the Kim family.

Despite its isolation and economic sanctions, North Korea maintains a highly militarized society and nuclear arsenal, prioritizing defense over economic development. The regime’s human rights abuses, political purges, and pervasive propaganda have drawn international condemnation and scrutiny.

Cuba

Cuba has been a one-party socialist state since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959. It depended on Soviet aid until the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Today, Cuba is still ruled by a Castro — Fidel’s brother Raul took over in 2008 at the age of 76. Raul has introduced essential economic reforms, allowing private enterprise to develop, but is determined to ensure that Cuba remains a socialist country.

Socialism has ensured full employment and delivered a health service with one of the highest ratios of doctors to population in the world. However, poverty is widespread, partly as a result of US economic sanctions, and even doctors are forced to supplement their meagre incomes by taking on other jobs, such as driving taxis at night. The Cuban economy and social services are hugely dependent on aid from Venezuela and the bloated public sector is notorious for encouraging waste and corruption — a guaranteed job provides little incentive to work hard, and often underpaid workers supplement their income by stealing work supplies and selling them on the black market. Raul Castro is due to retire in 2018, so at that point Cuba will face a crossroads — will it continue to cling to socialism, struggling along with microeconomic reforms which allow a limited private sector to exist, or will it embrace capitalism, potentially reaping large economic benefits but abandoning its ideology and revolutionary heritage?

China

China has been under Communist Party control since 1949, when Mao Tse-Tung led the party to victory in the civil war. Maoism was a uniquely Chinese ideology aimed at developing socialism within the peasantry rather than the proletariat, as China lacked an urban proletariat. Mao’s Great Leap Forward was a failed attempt to modernise agriculture and industry using a rural commune system, causing a famine in which some 20 million people died. In the late-1960s, Chinese society was rocked by the Cultural Revolution, which saw Mao imposing his authority on the country and encouraging the victimisation of ‘liberal elites’ within the Communist Party.

Following Mao’s death in 1976, China’s leaders changed direction. Private enterprise was encouraged and China regularly enjoyed growth rates of more than 10% in the 1990s and 2000s. Today, much of China remains rural and poor, but more than 1 million Chinese are millionaires and China is the second-biggest economy in the world.

However, capitalism has not been allowed to operate unchecked in China. It is directed by the state, which also owns many companies. The Communist Party has also made it clear that, while it is willing to allow economic liberalisation, it will not tolerate political dissent. The 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre of protesting students, China’s treatment of Tibet, and the massive internet censorship imposed by the Great Firewall of China, all show that human rights are routinely ignored in order to ensure stability.

China’s new premier took power in 2012 and faces various challenges. The country’s growth rate is currently 7.5%, high by global standards but disappointing compared to the eye-wateringly high rates which the Chinese have become accustomed to. China’s one child policy has produced an ageing population that will need to be paid for and a shortage of women, which affects Chinese men looking for wives. The Communist Party will be most worried by the widespread frustration with the repressive nature of politics and society, and the growing anger about endemic corruption within government at a local and national level. If the Chinese leadership cannot maintain brisk economic growth then calls for political reform could grow even more strident.

After reading the case studies answer the below questions

1. Analyse the positives and negatives of socialism and its branches in Cuba, China, and North Korea (three for each at least). Include examples from the text. Examine why is China the most successful of the three socialist countries? (Discuss origin of communism in China and the way it was modified to adapt to the modern world) 250 WORDS NOT MORE ( 10PTS) use updated latest information -2023-2024

2. Compare and contrast the social welfare systems in Sweden and the United States, considering factors such as healthcare, education, and unemployment benefits. Discuss how each country’s ideological framework influences the design and effectiveness of their social welfare programs. 250 WORDS NOT MORE ( 10PTS) use updated latest information -2023-2024

3. In your opinion what is the most successful ideology which was discussed in class and why (? Give specific country examples (at least three). ( 10 PTS) use updated latest information -2023-2024

250 WORDS NOT MOREASC 202: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE