27
votes
What happens to rank-and-file law-enforcement after major regime change
Depends on the kind of change. And on what the new regime wants.
Take the German Reunification as an example. Junior Communist officials and officers remained in office, but their promotion prospects ...
- 106k
26
votes
What happens to rank-and-file law-enforcement after major regime change
As an example (related, but not the same as o.m.'s answer), of what not to do, was the de-Baathification program launched by the US after the 2003 invasion.
Without getting involved on whether the ...
19
votes
Why aren't authoritarian governments overthrown sooner?
Authoritarian governments control the military and don't allow people to legally bear arms that could potentially oppose them.
Such governments usually come to power on claims of fighting some real or ...
- 13.9k
15
votes
Why does Russia consider the Ukrainian elections as "invalid/stolen"?
The official position from Russia following the 2019 elections wasn't at all one of non-recognition, at least according to Euronews:
Russia's prime minister says there is a chance for improved ...
- 144k
14
votes
King's name symbolism
the symbolism of [Charles II] opposition to "democracy" is still there.
In his numerous public speeches over the last half century since his investiture a Prince of Wales until his ...
- 9,051
9
votes
Why aren't authoritarian governments overthrown sooner?
Authoritarian governments are kept in power by a small, elite part of their society. When they need additional support (perhaps to deter rebellion) they build domestic institutions - effectively ...
- 23.8k
7
votes
According to political scientists and historians, what is the most effective and bloodless way to topple an authoritarian regime?
Growth of the middle class. If the autocracy is successful and the country develops and grows richer, eventually a strong middle class is formed and calls for more opportunities to participate in the ...
- 87
6
votes
Is every revolution a byproduct of a highly organized group of conscientious and professional organizers?
It's not true unless you have very specific definitions of grassroots and definition of highly organized group of conscientious and professional organizers.
Take for example the Fall of communism in ...
- 9,608
6
votes
Accepted
Is every revolution a byproduct of a highly organized group of conscientious and professional organizers?
The most well known quotation on the subject is as follows:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
...
- 72.9k
6
votes
Is every revolution a byproduct of a highly organized group of conscientious and professional organizers?
For revolution to work you need:
lot's of people being unhappy with status quo
some well organised group that would turn this dissatisfaction in to an actual movement able to formulate and achieve ...
- 5,906
6
votes
Accepted
According to political scientists and historians, what is the most effective and bloodless way to topple an authoritarian regime?
It should be obvious, that there will be no conclusive answers here, only some options, because if there was an effective way to do that, the last century would have looked quite different.
The main ...
- 6,079
5
votes
According to political scientists and historians, what is the most effective and bloodless way to topple an authoritarian regime?
There isn't really an answer to this question, because the question presumes that the term 'authoritarian regime' points at a uniform, singular thing, which it decidedly doesn't. It's much like asking ...
- 67.7k
5
votes
According to political scientists and historians, what is the most effective and bloodless way to topple an authoritarian regime?
The Arab Spring in the early 2010s allowed us to see how democratic revolutions turn out in present times.
While Tunisia and Egypt experienced a relatively bloodless transfers of power (Egypt didn't ...
- 74.7k
5
votes
Is every revolution a byproduct of a highly organized group of conscientious and professional organizers?
No.
Tunisian revolution 2011.
People power Philippines 1986
Duvalier overthrow in 1986
These were all cases where the population was fed up with the government and spontaneously escalated protests ...
5
votes
Who are modern ideologues/philosophers of Communism and how do they interpret Marx?
Not sure this makes for a suitable answer it's more of a critique of the question without being able to point you to specific thinkers (as you requested), but it's likely going to be too long for a ...
- 3,631
4
votes
The legitimacy of a deposed Government in international law?
The legitimacy of a deposed Government (and the legitamacy of the new government for that matter) is largely a decision for other nations to decide as it will result in that nation's continued ...
- 16.1k
4
votes
How can a dictator be removed when they don't have any challengers?
How do leaders get removed?
External "regime change"
That means an outside power takes violent action to remove the current regime. This requires a sufficient consensus of the international ...
- 106k
4
votes
Why aren't authoritarian governments overthrown sooner?
People are likely to support an authoritarian government if they feel that their group is in danger, according to authoritarianism theory and evolutionary psychology. There are many historical ...
- 141
3
votes
Accepted
Is Kyrgyzstan currently undergoing a revolution?
From Wikipedia:
The 2020 Kyrgyzstan protests began on 5 October 2020 in response to the 2020 parliamentary election that was perceived by protestors as unfair. The election lead to Sooronbay ...
- 2,921
3
votes
Why aren't authoritarian governments overthrown sooner?
Yes, gathering enough people for an uprising would just about insure success. But if the authoritarians are willing to inflict a bloodbath, as they often are, to try and hold power, maybe not everyone ...
- 20.8k
2
votes
What happens to rank-and-file law-enforcement after major regime change
The question seems to assume that the law enforcers were happy with the regime that was just overthrown and suddenly found them with a new regime whose rules they disapprove.
After a new regime is ...
- 2,227
2
votes
Accepted
How can a dictator be removed when they don't have any challengers?
There were many very strong empires in the history but there are factors that make them weak over time:
Cost. Empires are very expensive to run (army, police, propaganda, political goals force sub-...
- 16.5k
1
vote
Accepted
Who are modern ideologues/philosophers of Communism and how do they interpret Marx?
1. Communism in USSR, China, etc. was not real communism. Although this is a popular point of view, it is largely unsustainable when Marx writings are compared with the rather faithful implementations ...
- 318
1
vote
Is every revolution a byproduct of a highly organized group of conscientious and professional organizers?
No. Actually no any
A revolution normally happens when the current situation over small incremental changes arrives to the a crisis deep enough to assume there is just not possible otherwise. These ...
- 16.5k
1
vote
According to political scientists and historians, what is the most effective and bloodless way to topple an authoritarian regime?
The flaw with this question is that it assumes there's a proven "universal recipe".
I strongly doubt that. The world has 190 odd countries, some of which are true dictatorship. Overthrowing ...
1
vote
Why aren't authoritarian governments overthrown sooner?
Because of assymetry in the payoff: the cost to overthrow a totalitarian government is often born individually, while the beeneefits of overthrowing a totalitarian government is public: everyone's ...
- 2,615
1
vote
Why aren't authoritarian governments overthrown sooner?
Some reasons are common and some differ from country to country. Since other answers cover mostly common reasons, I add some reasons that are special to one or several of them. First I'd note that I ...
- 6,247
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