Recent Changes

Link to Powerpoint: https://docs.google.com/a/args.us/present/edit?id=0ASSOztwmQkwhZGNid2Y0ZF80Zjhyd3drY3I&hl=en

https://docs.google.com/a/args.us/present/edit?id=0AbqIHs-yUembZGY0d2JmZjRfMjBkYmo0Y3JjMg&hl=en

https://docs.google.com/a/args.us/leaf?id=0B3YXYUu1zZoeODg1NzYwOWQtN2E4MS00NzUyLTg5NzMtMTIzNDZmYzMzZGNl&hl=en

Southern Sudan homecoming brings new problems
Megan T. - Thai PM survived no confidence vote
3/30/2011
Taryn- suing pres in Ecuador- current president can't be charged for wrong doing- still recovering from Exxon probems-
Cali- Obama touring Ireland- he won't got o N. Ireland- cause he hasn't been to London yet
Jessica- Somali prates took over military boat and decided to return it
Meredyth- elections in Ivory Coast- AU - ex pres Gbago refused to sit for re-election - ex- FMinister- chose him to help mediate- Obama - if Gbago doesn't step down- then there will be more trouble- UN going to do something thorough SC
Elena- Libya- still going on-

Meredyth-D.R. Congo
Jessica- Africa- Madagascar
E. Asia- MongoliaJapan
Megan- E. Asia- Vietnam
Jamie- N. C. Caribbean- Canada
C. Caribbean- GrenadaCuba
Hailey- Ocenia-Oceania- Australia
Ross- Ocenia-Oceania- N. Zealand
Kate- Ocenia- PhillipinesOceania- Philippines
Will- W. Europe- France
Cali- W. Europe- Ireland
Ameilia-Amelia- W. Europe-
Taryn- S. America- Ecuador
Mara- M. East- Turkey
Sarah- S. America- Chile
Denzel- S. America- Peru
Dillon- Central Asia-0Asia- Kazakhstan
Elena- M. East- Egypt
Natasha- E. Europe- Belarus

Jamie- Canada- not evacuate citizens from Japan- to send planes specifically for them- bc Japan still has working plane system- many power black outs
Amelia- Italy wants to send troops want a democratic transition of government - Bahrain-
3/25
Jessica- US fighter crash in Libya
Lianna- us citizen - teacher from Chesterfield- tsunami victim
Megan- corruption in China- $30 m to blackmarket over railway
Dillon- Kazakhstan- pres. grandson joins football team
Taryn- Ecuadorian man in Mass- killed twp people= Ecuador killed two people-
Kate- rescue Philippinos
Mara- 2- Turkey- appointed as the protecting power for US in Libya- liaison- as a member of NATO
2- run out of resources to help - surgery w/o anesthesia in Libya- 109 people died in that hospital
Elena- military- some people mad at the allies just trying to kill Gaddafi - 48 civilians have died from the alled attacks- in Egypt chanting - down with the USA, and Gaddafi unknown wherabouts
Jake- Villnius- Feb. 16 pres.and Polish pres. celebrated Lithuanian independence- saddened by death of greatest poet in the country- twice restoration of independence of both countries
Sarah- 2 treaty with Japan about nuclear power but changed after tsunami and nuke disaster
and 2- Chilean man- 82 tattoos of julia roberts
Natasha- 2 Belarus- ruble weakened- central bank reserves weakened- Lukashenko- he is too relaxed about it- IMF urging them to make changes-
2- EU- foreign ministers- extend a hand to Belarusians to get rid pf pres. names of 19 officials will be published- b/c they are basically being put on trail
Denzel- Peru- they are doing very well- maintain their growth rate- GDP up - 2) signed free trade agreement with Mexico- benefit them international talks
Will- bombing on Libya started - British and US- French were First
Meredyth-
Southern Sudan homecoming brings new problems
Megan T. - Thai PM survived no confidence vote

https://docs.google.com/a/args.us/leaf?id=0B3YXYUu1zZoeMTM2MzhkYmMtYjMyMy00MzkyLWFiNzUtMmFiN2YzZTJjMTAy&hl=en
Federal Republic of Germany
•Political System- Comparative Politics

https://docs.google.com/a/args.us/present/edit?id=0AXYXYUu1zZoeZGs3bWY2eF84d2NxejRwZzc&hl=en
ªThe United KingdomªDemographicsªMultinational State- not an official state- ªSeperated into three parts-ªEnglandªWalesªScotland- separate legal, religious, and educational institutionsªAnd six counties of Ulster in Northern Ireland- separate Parliament- UlsterªMulti-racial 6.5% of population- Commonwealth CountriesªªConstitutionªUnwrittenªPartly statutesªPartly common law and practiceªªAt no point did English meet and agree on type of gov. as US did in 1780sªªEvolution of English DemocracyªIndependent 12th C.ªRule of Law est. 17th C. ªAccountability of Crown/ executive 18th C.ªPolitical Parties organized 19th C.ªUniversal suffrage 20th C. (1918)ªªPolitical Parties ªConservativeªWant gov. to promote private initiativeªLabour and New LabourªOrigin in support of unions, improve public services- ªformed in 1900- became New Labour in 1997- Tony BlairªLiberal DemocratsªWant taxes raised for better health care and educationªFormed in 1987 combination of Social Democrats and Liberals- after Re-election of ThatcherªªSolutions to GovernanceªCrown central authority- medieval timesªCrown over the church- Henry VIIIªParliament over the Crown- 1660ªCrown fully accountable to the House of Commons- 1911ª
These certain sources of evolving power prevented conflict and built legitimacy

Federal Republic of Germany
•Political System- Comparative Politics
•Demographics
•federal republic divided into 16 states
•16th highest population in the world
•second most populous country in Europe after Russia
•declining population growth rate
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•Constitution
•23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united Germany 3 October 1990
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• Basic Law- provides federal system for Europe and checks and balance between legislative and executive branch
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•civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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•vacillation between authoritarian governments and democratic ones
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•Choose Government
•Dates
•Leadership
•Authoritarian or Democratic
•Population participation in Government
•Characteristics
•Events
•Downfall
•Population participation in Government
•Second German Empire
•most of the 19th C. - Germany was still divided into many political units
•Otto von Bismark unified Germany as an authoritarian state under one Kaiser in 1871- through a series of nationalistic wars- Second German Empire- independence of Germany
•During this time the citizens served as subjects
•Central Government led industrialization and economic progression of the country until WWI.
•Blindly obedient and nationalistic citizenry.
•Germany as a defeated and exhausted nation
•Weimar Republic
•1919- Weimar Republic- popularly elected constitutional assembly
•Constitution- granted citizens the right to vote, and guaranteed basic human rights
•1923- economic catastrophe- inflation- 26 billion% (no kidding)
•The Kaiser was not blamed- The Weimar Republic was blamed
•1929- Great Depression- 1/3 labor force unemployed- Weimar Republic unable to deal with it
•Introduction of a Nationalist Party led by Adolf Hitler
•-1928- 2% of the vote, 1930- 18%, 1932- 33%
•To restore order- President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor in 1933
•-Democracy through Weimar fell after that- did not have support of the elites, Germans had not formed a commitment to democratic ideas, political and ideological crises plagued the nation
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•Third Reich
•The Third Reich- ruthless behavior and concern for legal procedures
•called for new election in 1933- suppressed opposition
•Did not gain a majority of votes, but used majority in Parliament to write new legislation granting Hitler dictatorial powers
•authoritarian “leader state” fuhrer
•extremist policies
•opposition destroyed
•attacks on Jews and other minorities grew in violence
•massive public works projects lessened unemployment
•violated WWI treaties
•expansionist foreign policy challenged international peace
•WWII began and brought down the Third Reich and left Germany in ruins
•Occupied Germany
•Allies controlled western zone and Soviet Union controlled Eastern Zone
•supposed to be temporary, but the onset of the Cold War made these division into separate political entities - GDR, FRG(1949) and East and West Berlin (1948).
•Marshall Plan introduced in the West to rebuild economies of Europe
•The Soviet Union took over political and economic functions in the Eastern Zone to create standard nationalized systems in the new states to replace capitalist systems.
•West Germany became an economic miracle
•Konrad Adenauer- 1st FRG Chancellor
•Willy Brandt- Ost Politik- 1971 Nobel Peace Prize
•-worry this would undermine East German political system
•Winds of Change
•“people power”protests against communist regime
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•Berlin Wall opened November 9, 1989- reunification process
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•Unification- achieved goals- freedom for GDR and ending the Cold War conflict
•caused economic problems for Germany as East Germany lagged behind
•-raising taxes for all citizens to develop their economy
•-debated whether Germany can still provide the same level of care for its Citizens
•different backgrounds and cultures of both sides “walls in the mind”
•increase in violent nationalism in more multicultural Europe
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•Recent Political History
•parties http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4219274.stm
•Sep 27, 1998- rejected sitting Chancellor- overturned 16 years of Christian Democratic party rule- through elections- voter turn out up
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•CDU Helmut Kohl- accepted illegal contributions to fund his party- scandal led to downfall- doubts about honesty of politicians and function of the political process
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•SPD- Green government elected to deal with continuing problems of reunification
•Gerhard Schroeder
•-changed citizenship laws for Germany with the largest foreign born population
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•Trans- National Alliances
•European Union- Germany at the forefront of policymaking
•chose to develop its economy and military through trans-national organizations
•originally Economic Coal and Steel Community-
•West Germany also chose to build alliance with NATO
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•East Germany joined the Soviet Bloc and Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
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•President
•President-President Christian WULFF (since 30 June 2010)- state
•mostly ceremonial post
•greeting visiting heads of state, attending official functions,
•to remain above all partisan politics once elected
•appoints government and military positions
•sign treaties and laws
•grants pardons
•actions must be co-signed by Chancellor
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•Chancellor
•Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)- CDU- gov
•often referred to as a Chancellor Democracy-
•elected by Bundestag-represents the majority and can count on their support
•has substantial power
•control of the cabinet
•basic law limits legislative power over the Chancellor
•constructive no confidence vote- to remove a leader- must already agree on a successor
•1982 happened when replacing Schmidt with Kohl
•Chancellor defines government policy
•Chooses number and type of cabinet ministers
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•Bundestag
•Parliament- reacts to government proposals rather than taking the initiative
•Federal Diet- Bunderstag- proportional representations
•656 deputies
•revise government proposals
•represents the public directly
•elections held every four years
•forum for public debate
•elect the federal chancellor
•scrutinize the actions of the government- question hour
•special debates
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•Bundesrat
•Federal Council - Bundesrat- state governments
•69 members
•permanent conference of state ministers
•6 seats for most populous states
•3 for least populous
•the federal government must send legislation through the Bundesrat first then through the Bundestag- when it impacts states
•State governments- unicameral legislature
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•Judiciary: Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat
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•Constitutional Court- reviews the constitutionality of legislation
•mediates disputes between levels of government, - places Basic Law above all others
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