Today in class we had a discussion period. We discussed the following questions as certain people shared their answers and we opened up a dialogue on certain points.
The questions were:
1. What are the most important questions Americans should be asking?
2. What are the most critical things people should be doing right now?
a. Regual citizens
b. Parents
c. Schools
d. High School/College Youth
e. Government officials
f. World leaders
g. Religious leaders
3. What do you think are the biggest challenges before us?
4. What do you hope will happen? Why?
Showing posts with label AP Government notes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AP Government notes. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
March 19, 2009 AP Government 4th period
In Nigeria’s 2007 election there was much corruption and fraud (stuffed ballot boxes, more votes than voters, etc.)
Ø between 50-300 people die in violence leading to it
Ø each major ethnic group had a political party
Yardua won, became president
Ø he retired some of the top military officers to prevent another coup
Ø sought to relax the Niger Delta
Nigeria has a small international debt, a lot of agricultural land, and natural reserves (oil). Making it ripe for a developing state economy
Socialization
Ø 1- ethnicity
Ø religion, urban/rural, class, and region also come into play
Ø 6 inexact areas
1. Northwest
2. Northeast
3. Middle Belt
4. Southwest
5. Southeast
6. Southern minority zone
Elite
Ø politically active
Ø urban, well-educated, speak English, cash economy
Ø want an honest government
Ø want civil liberties
Masses (urban and rural)
Ø subjects
Ø take what the government will hand out to them
Ø not active except during campaigns
Ø patron-client networks (are the clients)
Ø earn favors to survive
Ø not well educated (1/2 illiterate)
Ø no English
Ø subsistence economy
Ø care about results, not government
Oil revenues
Ø important to the government
Ø supposed to serve state and national government funding
Ø causes corruption (General Babangida bought new cars for his top supporters using that money)
Officials called “loot-o-crats” (in relation to the corruption)
Ø “It takes a village to raise a child”- if a person gets an education and leaves, he is still responsible for the village
Ø mixes sense of community responsibility with patron-client
Ø uneducated rely on educated for goods
Ø patron gets more money or power, the village wants more rewards
Ø “pre-bendalism”- dispersion of public jobs and rents (money the national government makes off of other countries for oil) that people say the village is owed
Culture
Ø North- under British, agricultural
Ø South- under British, modern (economy, institutions, etc)
65-75% of kids go to primary school
Ø more in South than in North
Ø few get beyond (expensive)
Ø instructed in English
Ø over ½ the country is illiterate
Participation
Ø voting rates hard to determine (cheating on census)
Ø 1993- 46% estimated voters
Ø 1997- 67% estimated voters (fraud)
Ø 1979- women get right to vote
Political elites
Ø Obas- Yoruba ethnic area
Ø Emirs- Middle
Ø Village Leaders- South
Political agenda
Ø ethnic based groups in cities
Ø rural- farming groups
Ø labor unions exist but aren’t powerful and never really have been
Political parties
Ø military governments and political parties don’t mix well
Ø Top 3 parties in 1998-99
1. PDP- Obasanjo
2. All People’s Party- descendent of Igbu NCNC
3. Alliance for Democracy- descendent of Yoruba Action Group
Ø All ethnically based
Ø between 50-300 people die in violence leading to it
Ø each major ethnic group had a political party
Yardua won, became president
Ø he retired some of the top military officers to prevent another coup
Ø sought to relax the Niger Delta
Nigeria has a small international debt, a lot of agricultural land, and natural reserves (oil). Making it ripe for a developing state economy
Socialization
Ø 1- ethnicity
Ø religion, urban/rural, class, and region also come into play
Ø 6 inexact areas
1. Northwest
2. Northeast
3. Middle Belt
4. Southwest
5. Southeast
6. Southern minority zone
Elite
Ø politically active
Ø urban, well-educated, speak English, cash economy
Ø want an honest government
Ø want civil liberties
Masses (urban and rural)
Ø subjects
Ø take what the government will hand out to them
Ø not active except during campaigns
Ø patron-client networks (are the clients)
Ø earn favors to survive
Ø not well educated (1/2 illiterate)
Ø no English
Ø subsistence economy
Ø care about results, not government
Oil revenues
Ø important to the government
Ø supposed to serve state and national government funding
Ø causes corruption (General Babangida bought new cars for his top supporters using that money)
Officials called “loot-o-crats” (in relation to the corruption)
Ø “It takes a village to raise a child”- if a person gets an education and leaves, he is still responsible for the village
Ø mixes sense of community responsibility with patron-client
Ø uneducated rely on educated for goods
Ø patron gets more money or power, the village wants more rewards
Ø “pre-bendalism”- dispersion of public jobs and rents (money the national government makes off of other countries for oil) that people say the village is owed
Culture
Ø North- under British, agricultural
Ø South- under British, modern (economy, institutions, etc)
65-75% of kids go to primary school
Ø more in South than in North
Ø few get beyond (expensive)
Ø instructed in English
Ø over ½ the country is illiterate
Participation
Ø voting rates hard to determine (cheating on census)
Ø 1993- 46% estimated voters
Ø 1997- 67% estimated voters (fraud)
Ø 1979- women get right to vote
Political elites
Ø Obas- Yoruba ethnic area
Ø Emirs- Middle
Ø Village Leaders- South
Political agenda
Ø ethnic based groups in cities
Ø rural- farming groups
Ø labor unions exist but aren’t powerful and never really have been
Political parties
Ø military governments and political parties don’t mix well
Ø Top 3 parties in 1998-99
1. PDP- Obasanjo
2. All People’s Party- descendent of Igbu NCNC
3. Alliance for Democracy- descendent of Yoruba Action Group
Ø All ethnically based
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