Introduction to Comparative Politics
Identifications
1. Margaret Thatcher served as the Prime Minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990 and was the Leader of the Conservative Party. She is famous for being the longest-serving Prime Minister in the UK in the 20th century as well as the first woman who has held the office. A nickname of The Iron Lady has become associated with her uncompromising politics which have come to be known as Thatcherism. Thatcher remains a controversial figure being one of the most influential and greatest British politicians in British history, although her numerous policies and decisions are criticized.
2. Vladimir Putin is a Russian politician, the current President of the Russian Federation. He is often called an authoritarian leader because of his long time of serving. He served as the Prime Minister from 1999 to 2000, the President from 2000 to 2008, and again the Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012. At the beginning of 2014 international sanctions imposed after annexation of Crimea and military intervention in Eastern Ukraine combined with falling oil prices have led to GDP shrinking by 3.7% in 2015 and further recession. Putin has been ranked as the most powerful person in the world by Forbes every year since 2013.
3. Severin Carrel is Scotland editor for the Guardian. Previously, he was the Scotland correspondent for the Guardian. He has worked as a home affairs, politics and environment correspondent for the Scotland on Sunday and Scotsman, and as a senior reporter for the Independent. In his articles, Carrel highlights the significant need for Scottish referendum to be provided in the light of Brexit. Theresa May, the current Prime Minister of the UK, was accused of sealing the fate of the United Kingdom after she rejected the request for a second Scottish independence referendum before the Brexit.
4. Scottish referendum took place on 18 September 2014 and aimed to examine whether the Scots desired Scotland to become independent. The referendum question was formulated as “Should Scotland be an independent country?" The supporters of staying within the UK won with 55.3% voting against Scottish independence. Following the result of the UK referendum on membership in European Union, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the intent to organize a second referendum on independence. This announcement was triggered by the results of the UK-wide referendum showing that all Scottish areas voted to remain in the EU.
5. Elizabeth Perry is the US famous scholar of Chinese history and politics at Harvard University and the Department of Government. Her research focuses mainly on the implications of the Chinese revolution on the contemporary politics. With the increasing role of China in international relations, the studies of Chinese political system have significant importance. In her studies, Perry analyses the history of Chinese revolution and focuses on socioeconomic issues.
6. Minxin Pei is on expert on politics and governance in China, democratization in developing countries, and US – Asia relations. Pei is a former senior associate with the Carnegie’s Asia Program. His studies focus on …
