In most nations formerly under communism influence during the Cold War, democracy has not full been achieved, more than thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Most of those nations adopted oligarchy in which the elite, whether one individual or a small group, runs and controls the government (OpenStax, n.d.). Over the last three decades, oligarchy has taken various forms in different nations, including some that were not formerly under the communist influence (Spitzer, 2019). Authoritarian, dictatorship, and coexistence of democracy with communism, theocracy, or other hybrids have emerged in different nations across the globe.
In fact, according to the democracy index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the US and France are not “full democracies” but a “flawed democracies” and are placed in the same category as Chile, Jamaica, Bulgaria, Ghana, Namibia, and others (Spitzer, 2019). In truth, the US cannot be considered a pure democracy because the government at all levels is run by an elite group composed of highly learned individuals, mostly from prestige schools, and the wealthy (OpenStax, n.d.). The role of money in political campaigns has solidified the concept and makes it difficult for the poor and less connected people to occupy powerful political and economic offices (OpenStax, n.d.). Thus, America is not a full democracy but a hybrid of democracy and oligarchy (OpenStax, n.d.). Within this in mind, it is imperative to compare the US government with those of the nations traditionally known to be under oligarchies and for this matter, Russia is comparable with America.
Government Structure of the United States
Since its foundation in the 1770s, the US government has been a legal body established under the Constitution. The Constitution establishes three district branches or arms of the Federal Government- executive, judicial, and legislative. These branches derive their powers from the Constitution and which are vested in the Presidency, Federal Courts, and the Congress respectively. No individual or group has powers above the Constitution, which is the supreme law that governs the country (Rivers, 2017). The most powerful office is that of the President, who is elected by the people of the country in a four-year term renewable once through universal suffrage. Article II of the Constitution establishes the executive branch, vesting the executive powers in the president as the head of state and head of government under the oath of preserving, protecting, and defining the Constitution. The president forms the government by appointing state officers starting from members of the Cabinet, attorney general, directors of various agencies, and supreme court judges. The Vice President, elected in one ticket along with the president, is the second in command and can replace the president in case of incapacitation, death, resigning, or constitutional removal from office. The US is a multi-part nation where people are free to form political parties to advance their opinions and find representation through political participation at all levels.
On its part, the Congress is established under Article I as a bicameral system with the House of Representatives (equivalent to parliament in many other countries) and the Senate. The House of Representatives has 435 members, each elected by the residents to represent their congressional district (Pedriana & Stryker, 2017). This number depends on the population of each state as determined by the latest US Census tally. The article sets a two-year tern for all the representatives and can seek reelection. The Senate is composed of two members from each state and does not consider the population size. This house has 100 members, 2 from each of the 50 states, who serve for six-year terms (Pedriana & Stryker, 2017). Under Article III section I of the Constitution, the Supreme Court of the United States is established and the Congress is authorized to establish smaller courts as their need arises. This article also establishes lifetime tenure for all federal judges under the leadership of the Chief Justice as the head of the judiciary.
The Government Structure in Russia
Russia is a semi-presidential federation with a president and a prime minister. The country has 21 republics, 46 provinces, 4 autonomous okrugs, 2 federal cities, and an autonomous oblast (Sternberg & Fischer, 2022). Like the US, Russia has a constitution that establishes three levels of government- the executive, judiciary, and legislature. The Constitution of Russia is the supreme law and establishes the office of the President, who is the head of state an executive power vested in the office of the Prime Minister who is the head of government. The PM is appointed by the president with the approval of the legislature (Sternberg & Fischer, 2022). The president is elected through universal suffrage for a six-year term and can be elected only twice. In Russia, the legislative branch is also bicameral with an upper house (Federal Council) and lower house (State Duma) both headed by speakers. Similarly, the judiciary is headed by the Chief Justice, with the Constitutional Court being the highest court above the Supreme Court and lower federal courts. Judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation by the president.
Citizen Engagement in American Politics
The US Constitution gives citizens the freedom of political participation through various forms such as civic engagement activities, voting by universal suffrage, equal representation, and other methods. Apart from voting for their leaders when one is 18 years, citizens have the freedom to work and make a difference in the civic life within their communities, state, and country and develop the combination of skills, value, motivation, and knowledge to achieve certain objectives. People can participate in activities that seek to improve their lives through both political and non-political processes (Spitzer, 2019). For instance, people can engage in paid or unpaid forms of political activism, community and national service, and environmentalism. Lobbying is constitutional and people can form groups or join as members of the existing political parties to advance their causes. In the country, the Constitution and the tradition of freedom and freewill act as factors that advance citizen engagement in political causes. Nevertheless, some factors still hinder participation. For instance, education is a major factor that prevents people from participation. Without information and knowledge, political participation becomes difficult even through everyone is allowed. Social isolation also limits networking necessary to support and encourage political participation. Individual factors such as religion and beliefs can prevent people from participating. Disabled people face barriers such as inaccessibility of voting booths or inability to take place in peaceful demonstrations.
Citizen Engagement in Russian Politics
Although the Constitution of Russia allows people to participate in politics and political causes, the regime in Moscow has always used force to prevent citizens from exercising these rights. There are multiple political parties in Russia, but the ruling United Russia is the dominant and operates as a near de facto one-party regime (Sternberg & Fischer, 2022). The state places restrictions on protest activities and elections by ensuring that some candidates are not on the ballot, including imprisonment and detention of activists and opposition politicians. Unlike the US, only about 3% of the people of all ages state that they participated in political causes in Russia (Sternberg & Fischer, 2022). Most people state that they follow political developments in their country with interest but they do not participate for various reasons such as state restrictions and fear of consequences. Therefore, it is difficult for people to lobby the government in Russia, especially when politics are involved.
Evaluation of American Politics in Comparison with Russia
Although the American government is also somewhat an oligarchy led by elites, it is not comparable to the situation in Russia. As a nation that has a strong history and tradition of democracy and the rule of law, the US has always sought to provide people the freedom of choice, representation, speech, and conscience. Every person is allowed of participate in politics or for political causes as long as they are within the law (Batanina et al., 2018). The government does not prohibit people from participating in politics, whether through lobbying or voting. Instead, other factors affect people’s participation such as lack of knowledge and awareness, personal factors, disabilities, and systematic discrimination due to lack of finances to participate. In contrast, Russia’s constitution guarantees people the right for political participation. However, the regime does not necessarily honor the written laws and instead, they always develop policies aimed at preventing full political participation, especially when the government feels challenged. Based on these observations, it is evident that America has a far higher level of democracy than Russia, even though both have progressive constitutions. America’s system is apparently a democratic government, but it has inherent problems that make it a flawed democracy, primarily because the role of money in politics prevents many people from participation. In contrast, Russia is an oligarchy and is increasingly becoming a dictatorship because of the regime’s recent approach to issues, including open violation of human rights and aggression against Ukraine.
References
Batanina, I. A., Lavrikova, A. A., Pukhanov, S. A., & Shumilova, O. E. S. E. (2018). A Model of the Civil Participation in the Context of the Specificities of the Political Space of the Russian Federation’s Regions. Space and Culture, India, 6(3), 82-96. Web.
OpenStax. (n.d.). American government.
Pedriana, N., & Stryker, R. (2017). From legal doctrine to social transformation? Comparing U.S. voting rights, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Fair Housing Legislation. The American Journal of Sociology, 123(1), 86–135. Web.
Rivers, C. R. (2017). The Congressional Black Caucus, minority voting rights, and the U.S. Supreme Court. The University of Michigan Press.
Siegel, D. (2022). From oligarchs to oligarchy: The failure of US Sanctions on Russia and its implications for theories of informal politics. World Affairs, 185(2), 249-284. Web.
Spitzer, A. J. (2019). ‘A wolf in sheep’s clothing’: Settler voting rights and the elimination of the indigenous demos in US Pacific territories. Postcolonial Studies, 22(2), 131–49. Web.
Sternberg, R. J., & Fischer, C. (2022). Diverging roads: Democracy, anocracy, autocracy, dictatorship?. Possibility Studies & Society, 27538699221128220. Web.