Professor E. Burton
Introduction to Comparative Politics
3/23/15
Comparison Paper The beauty of cross-country comparison lies in the assured discovery of similarities that bind nations together in addition to differences that distinguish them apart. The art of comparison, beyond drawing attention to the elements that unite and distinguish, enables for an in depth examination of the political, social, and economic factors that make individual nations unique. Examining these factors individually reveals pieces of information that when combined paint a picture as to the nature of a nation's governmental system . It is, therefore, evident that the examination of a country's government goes beyond solely examining politics; the …show more content…
The lack of an ability to check the power held by the Korean Worker's Party results in the creation of a powerful group of elite officials that have the autonomy requisite to act free of determent. As proven, the political environment of the North Korean nation aids in emphasizing the Korean Worker's Party as the centralization of all power in the state. In like manner, the social and economic dynamics of the Korean nation aid in unearthing the governmental system as an authoritarian powerhouse. As aforementioned, all political and social activity that exists in the North Korean territory is a product of the decisions made by the officials heading the Korean Worker's Party. All activity outside of party autonomy is innately illicit, and is bound to termination. Evidently, in order to legally conduct activity or establish organizations, an individual must obtain party membership. Theoretically , all citizens residing within the nation are eligible for acceptance in to the party, though in reality, as noted by Murray, "[potential] members must meet standards of 'reliability',...as political loyalty and class origin" (Murray). It is, therefore, the intent of …show more content…
As one difference, the government of North Korea is primarily headed by one key official, namely the Chief of State, while the government of China is mainly headed by a group of key officials, the Standing Committee of the Politburo. In additional, although both states acquire communistic, centralized power structures, the Chinese government under the Chinese Communist Party more extensively disseminates national power to alternative branches of authority than does the North Korean government under the Korean Worker's Party. As a result, domains as the legislative branch have a greater deal of autonomy in China than they do in North Korea. Being that the North Korean government is centralized to a larger extent than the Chinese government, it, naturally, is more authoritative, and, resultantly, must rely on more extreme methods of public control, as that of personality cult. The North Korean government coerces the idolization of its key governmental officials as a means of maintaining internal stability and legitimacy. Although the Chinese government does rely on methods of control , personality cult is not viewed as an essential means to political functionality. As the North Korean government is "a highly centralized state" with a "well-defined" ideology" that "seeks