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Lesson PreviewLesson 2 of 10 in this unit

1.3 Democracy vs. Authoritarianism

Part of Political Systems, Regimes, and Governments in AP® Comparative Government & Politics. Read the opening section, then create a free account for the full interactive lesson, practice, and progress tracking.

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Lesson Overview

Regimes vary in political competition, participation, civil liberties, accountability, and limits on executive power. Democracies institutionalize meaningful contestation, while authoritarian regimes restrict it through different structures.

Compare how this topic appears across the six AP course countries and distinguish institutions from outcomes.

Quantitative lens: competition=oppositionseats/totalseats∗100{competition=opposition_seats/total_seats*100}.

In this unit

10 lessons

  1. 1.1The Practice of Political ScientistsPreview lesson
  2. 1.3Democracy vs. AuthoritarianismThis lesson
  3. 1.3Democracy vs. AuthoritarianismOpen lesson
  4. 1.4DemocratizationPreview lesson
  5. 1.5Sources of Power and AuthorityPreview lesson
  6. 1.6Change in Power and AuthorityPreview lesson
  7. 1.7Federal and Unitary SystemsPreview lesson
  8. 1.8Political LegitimacyPreview lesson
  9. 1.9Sustaining LegitimacyPreview lesson
  10. 1.10Political StabilityPreview lesson

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