Comparative Politics Essay

Submitted By Markclement18
Words: 2031
Pages: 9
Open Document
Civil Societies Advocacies and NGOs
Assignment 1
Civil Society Development in Thailand & Myanmar
Mark Clement
3954157

Pro-Demoracy Civil Society Movements Thailand & Myanmar
Civil society development in Thailand and Myanmar has had significant progress since the end of World War Two 1948-9 when the Kingdom of Siam changed its name to Thailand and Myanmar gained its independence from the British. During this period pro-democracy social movements have gained prominence in the face of autocratic military dictatorships. Which raises interest in the factors that have impacted and gave rise to pro-democracy social movements in Thailand and Myanmar since 1948-9. These factors include: The role of the military, the role of the monarchy, & key events. A further interesting point based on the respective nations’ overall democratic development will be a consideration of whether Thailand was able to democratize faster than Myanmar, and if so, why?
Thailand and Myanmar share several similarities that make them ideal for comparison and contrast. The two share similar geography and resources, furthermore, a similar population (Figure 1) that is predominantly Buddhist had led to a similar values and ethics appreciated by society. The civil society for democracy in both nations have formed for collective action to protect non-state public actors, affect the regime type (which in this case is keeping military out of politics and democratic elections), and influence the policies of the state (raising the minimum wage), society and the market (in the case of Mynmar less centralized control of the market and a transition to a free market system).
Figure 1 Country Overview
Thailand
Myanmar
Government Type
Constitutional Monarchy
Head of Government
Yingluck Shinawattra
Chief of State
King Bhumibol Aduladej
Population
67,448,160

Government Type
Parliamentary since 2011
Head of Government
Thein Sein
Chief of State
Then Sein
Population
55,167,330

Today Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and has had a parliament for decades; Myanmar however has had its parliament only since 2011. This indicates that democracy in Thailand developed sooner than that of Myanmar’s. In Southeast Asia, and specifically these two nations, the role that the military plays is pivotal in politics. In functioning democracies, the military plays a supporting role, however in this region of the world they take center stage and dictate much of the political happenings of the nation. Arguably too much power is held by the military as is evident by a series of military coups since the turn of the century. Figure 2 shows past governments of Thailand & Myanmar with M representing military regimes and C for civilian.
Figure 2

Thailand
Myanmar
M- Phot Pahonyothin (1933-38)
M- Pibul Songkram (1938-44)
C-Pridi Panomyong (March 24, 1946- Auguest 23, 1946)
M- Pibul Songkram (1948-57)
M- Sarit Thanarat (1959-63)
M Thanom Kitikachorn (1963-73)
1973 Student Uprising (First significant pro democracy civil society movement)
Gains independence 1938
M- Military coup led by General Newin seizes power (1966-1988)
1988 People Power Uprising (First significant pro democracy civil society movement)

The list of military regimes is relatively shorter in Myanmar because Newin’s regime was able to fully consolidate itself. The main difference in the development of the military’s role in politics was that Thailand was able to push for democratic measures and limit the military’s influence; Myanmar’s regime under Newin took hold and consolidated its position. When he seized power Newin abolished the federal system and introduced what he called “The Burmese Way to Socialism” – this meant naitonalizing the economy, banning independent newspapers and forming a single-party state. Since 1962, the country was ruled by the Burma Socialist Programme Party as a one-party state headed by General Newin.
Show More

Related Documents: Comparative Politics Essay

Outline: Political Science and a. Comparative Politics Essay

Section 1 I. The Global Challenges of Comparative Politics- People in the United States have less to spend. Unemployment went sky-high after WWII. College graduates had a hard time finding well- paying jobs. A. Remarkable Development 1. Democratic surge 2. Military intervention a. Coalition in which the United States played a critical role to refuse leadership. 3. March 2011, Japan was devastated by a triple shock, earthquake, 46 foot high wall of water swept through the Northeast region…

Words 618 - Pages 3

Denied: Philosophy and International Relations Essay

passion I feel for both international politics and philosophy must be fulfilled extracurricularly, usually through personal reading. I have amassed a respectable library for both subjects and spend many hours studying them. I enjoy each for the same reason. Each discipline is based on conflict; international politics is a conflict of polities, economies, and societies, while philosophy is a conflict of ideas and systems of thought. In international politics I consider myself a globalist; that…

Words 611 - Pages 3

Reader Respinse Chap 2 Essay

Amanda Lawler and Taylor Bruns Mrs. Clesson AP English Language 8:00 February 12, 2009 Reader Response Chapter 2 “A Bridesmaid’s Bad Breath” “A Bridesmaid’s Bad Breath” focuses on warning signs of trickery. Politics and advertisements are full of deceptions which one should not buy into. Today we are being affected and swayed by others and their bold statements. Language can easily deceive and swindle us out of our money and individual thoughts. Select Language Awareness articles and 1984 can…

Words 919 - Pages 4

Right to Sanitary Public Restrooms Essay

of dividing the state, even though the governor had urged the delegates not to consider the question. For political and economic reasons, there was strong support from division. West Texans believed that Galveston and Houston dominated the states politics and its government and that only division would relieve them from that control. From this we can see that most people would see no reason for to pass a law, bur the obvious answer to this is known that the only way…

Words 1626 - Pages 7

Essay about History: Politics and Ps

Ps 201, Comparative World Government and Politics Ec 209, Principles of Macroeconomics Ps 250, Research Methods Ps 275, Public Policy Analysis Ps 325, The American Presidency or Ps 350, American Congress Ps 360, International Relations Any one of the Constitutional law courses: Ps 372, Fundamental Freedoms: The First Amendment; Ps 374, Civil Rights: The Fourteenth Amendment; or Ps 375, American Constitutional Development Requirements for a minor in Economics and Politics: Ps 100…

Words 2609 - Pages 11

Feminism: Annotated Bibliography

Liberalism. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield. Baehr, Amy R. (2013), Liberal Feminism: Comprehensive and Political, In Abbey (2013). ––– (2008), Perfectionism, Feminism, and Public Reason, Law and Philosophy 27: 193–222. ––– (2004), Feminist Politics and Feminist Pluralism: Can We Do Feminist Political Theory without Theories of Gender?’ Journal of Political Philosophy 12: 411–436. ––– (1996), Towards a New Feminist Liberalism: Okin, Rawls, and…

Words 777 - Pages 4

GBR Course Guide NA Sem 1 2015 Essay

Success in business is underpinned by a sound understanding of government business relations. Politics is a central feature of our lives – issues such as globalisation, international trade and climate change are the subject of front-page headlines and nightly news bulletins. These issues can have a direct impact on millions of people across the globe. All citizens have a stake in understanding the politics that lie behind these events, and how they are affected by them. For these reasons alone, this…

Words 6443 - Pages 26

Final Paper Assignment Fall 2014

COMPARATIVE POLITICS (POLI 201S) FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT The syllabus mentions “Case Study Paper, details forthcoming (25%)”. Here are the “details”: In General: Take one of our “Democracy and Democratization” class readings and apply it to one of our case studies, Brazil or Russia. Relevant readings are: Huntington (1991/2009) re: the politics of authoritarian breakdowns and democratic transitions, Lim (2010): Chapter 6 and all the arguments/illustrations around the three research traditions…

Words 293 - Pages 2

Jeffery Morton Essay 1

Direct quotations from Kant’s text explained. II. Analysis of Denis Diderot’s “The Encyclopedie?” a. Introduction of Denis Diderot’s. b. Major themes discussed within Diderot’s writings. c. Direct quotations from Diderot’s text explained. III. Comparative Analysis of Kant and Diderot’s writings. a. How Kant and Diderot were similar. b. How Kant and Diderot’s societies were similar. c. Personal take on Kant and Diderot. Reason and Values Immanuel Kant and Denis Diderot were pioneers of the Enlightenment…

Words 1363 - Pages 6

Voter Perceptions

To begin with, the media can only magnify a political ad. They cannot change the message of that ad or the affect that it will have on individual voters. There are three basic type of political advertisements: attack ad, comparative ad, and promotional ads. Campaigns use the ads to highlight the strengths of their candidate and the weaknesses of their opponent. Many political campaigns start off with positive advertising, but in a close race that advertising can quickly turn…

Words 1963 - Pages 8