One-party rule

Extracted Attributes

• Field

  Political Science / Comparative Politics

• Core Mechanism

  Monopolization of political authority by a single party with opposition outlawed or restricted

• Alternative Names

  One-party state, single-party state, single-party system, one-party system

• Data Transparency

  Low availability of reliable public data due to government opacity

• Democratization Transition Rate

  Lower transition rate to multi-party democracy compared to dominant-party dictatorships

Timeline

• Beatriz Magaloni and Ruth Kricheli publish 'Political Order and One-Party Rule' in the Annual Review of Political Science. (Source: Web Search / Annual Review of Political Science)

  2010-05-01

• Fabio Angiolillo publishes 'Introducing the One-Party Membership Dataset: A dataset on party membership in autocracies' in the Journal of Peace Research. (Source: Web Search / Journal of Peace Research)

  2023-04-27

One-party state

A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In the one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or have limited and controlled participation in elections. The expression "de facto one-party" is sometimes used to describe a dominant-party system that, unlike a one-party state, allows (at least nominally) multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition from winning power. Membership in the ruling party tends to be relatively small compared to the population; however, this is not a universal rule, as some one-party states, such as Zaire under Mobutu, made the entire citizenry members of the party. Rather, they give out private goods to fellow elites to ensure continued support. One-party, compared to dominant-party dictatorships, structure themselves unlike democracies. They also turn into multi-party democracies at a lower rate than dominant-party dictatorships. While one-party states prohibit opposition parties, some allow for independent candidates to stand for election in competition with party candidates. Therefore, they place elites and sympathetic candidates in key administrative races. For example, the Chinese Communist Party exercises political control by infiltrating village administrations. They view these positions as crucial for gathering information on the population and maintaining a presence in the far reaches of their borders. One-party states recognize the trade-off between election victory and gathering valuable data. To account for this, the governments have been observed placing local nobility in easy-to-win races. One-party states have also been observed using elections to ensure that only the most popular elites get chosen to office. They also gather data from elections to indicate if a local official is performing poorly in the eyes of the residents. This gives locals the opportunity to monitor local officials and communicate satisfaction with the local government. Throughout the country, members of the one party hold key political positions. In doing so, the party avoids committing outright fraud and rather sustains their power at the local level with strategic appointment of elites. Data on one-party governments can be difficult to gather given their lack of transparency.

Web Search Results

• One-party state - Wikipedia

  A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or have limited and controlled participation in elections. The expression "de facto one-party" is sometimes used to describe a dominant-party system that, unlike a one-party state, allows (at least nominally) multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition "Opposition (politics)") from winning power. [...] Membership in the ruling party tends to be relatively small compared to the population; however, this is not a universal rule, as some one-party states, such as Zaire under Mobutu, made the entire citizenry members of the party. Rather, they give out private goods to fellow elites to ensure continued support. One-party, compared to dominant-party dictatorships, structure themselves unlike democracies. They also turn into multi-party democracies at a lower rate than dominant-party dictatorships. While one-party states prohibit opposition parties, some allow for independent candidates to stand for election in competition with party candidates. Therefore, they place elites and sympathetic candidates in key administrative races. For example, the Chinese Communist Party exercises political [...] 1. ↑ Clark, William Roberts; Golder, Matt; Golder, Sona Nadenichek (23 March 2012). Principles of Comparative Politics. SAGE. p. 611. ISBN "ISBN (identifier)") 9781608716791. 2. ↑ "One-Party". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023. 3. ↑ Angiolillo, Fabio (27 April 2023). "Introducing the One-Party Membership Dataset: A dataset on party membership in autocracies". Journal of Peace Research. 61 (4): 694–708. doi "Doi (identifier)"):10.1177/00223433231155278. ISSN "ISSN (identifier)") 0022-3433. 4. 1 2 Magaloni, Beatriz; Kricheli, Ruth (1 May 2010). "Political Order and One-Party Rule". Annual Review of Political Science. 13 (1): 123–143. doi "Doi (identifier)"):10.1146/annurev.polisci.031908.220529. ISSN "ISSN (identifier)") 1094-2939.

• Learning to love one-party rule: A Beginner’s Guide | Bruce Ledewitz

  In other words, one-party rule means effective competition between the parties. And, as often occurs in competition, this will improve the performance of each party, bringing them closer together. The winner will be democracy itself. Opinion contributor Bruce Ledewitz teaches constitutional law at Duquesne University Law School in Pittsburgh. His work appears biweekly on the Capital-Star’s Commentary Page. Listen to his podcast, “Bends Toward Justice”here. Image 6: Creative Commons License Republish [...] But the best thing about one-party rule is that, because it allows democracy to work and shows the voters what each party actually stands for, it is likely to be temporary. In partisan deadlock, each party tells its supporters how much better its policies are than those of the other side, with no way to test such claims. But in one-party rule, the voters get to see policies in action. They will prefer one kind of party rule over the other. Even in our hyper-partisanship, the voters will eventually change their votes to reflect what they want. In order to prevent a demotion to permanent minority status, the other party will then have to bring itself closer to the voters’ preferences. [...] This is democracy in action. One-party rule is not perfect, of course. In an ideal world, two centrist political parties, one tilting left and the other right, would identify the problems facing America and do the hard work of compromising to address those problems. One-party rule, unfortunately, tends to be irresponsible because of the pressing need to win the next election. That is why the two parties are emphasizing tax cuts and spending increases—the cake and ice cream of American politics. But we don’t have that ideal world. Short of that, government has to work for democracy to endure, even if it is not working perfectly.

• One Party Rule - Dangers For Democracy - Forward Party

  One party rule. The very words may send chills down your spine, or may have you partying in the streets. It all depends whether it’s your party in power – or the other one. In America, one party rule typically means control over the executive, legislative and judicial branches. But after the 2020 election, we saw just how critical Governors and Secretaries of State could be in helping to secure the executive branch. Certification of votes was a process many of us probably never considered before the 2020 elections, but suddenly, that authority seems pivotal on the path to executive power. The tools parties can use to secure their power are many, and we see them expanding those tools right under our noses, even as voters continue to focus on divisive and emotional issues like gun or [...] A one party state means that a small number of party leaders can steer the agenda, demand loyalty to that agenda, and punish those who push back by withdrawing financial support, access to party voter lists, and by mounting support of a primary opponent. One party can, in this manner, shift the power to a singular dogmatic platform. Either way you slice it, single party government is bad for a vibrant democracy. Even if it’s your party who enjoys political dominance, your party will shift further towards radicalism over time, eventually leaving you on the outside with little hope of forcing a change. And, of course, if your party isn’t the one in power, the prospects are even more dim. [...] One party rule. That sounds like China, or Russia – not America. But with two parties fighting for ultimate control, the partisan fight for the ultimate, total victory is dragging us in that direction. In the meantime, while we wait and watch the partisan battle, observe the splitting and polarization of our country, and watch our elections, courts and legislative bodies fall to one side or the other, the Forward Party has emerged to give America a choice. In the weeks following the merger of the Forward Party, the Renew America Movement and the Serve America Movement we’ve received enormous support and outreach from those excited by an alternative. Of course, we’ve had our detractors too. That’s to be expected, even a healthy political system is no place for thin skin.

• One-Party State - an overview

  A one-party state is defined as a political regime where a single party holds predominant power, centralizing authority in the hands of its leader

• One-party state | Definition, System, & Examples | Britannica

  4 Britannica Sources 1. one-party state 2. Why Are Two Political Parties Dominant in the U.S.? 3. political party: Multiparty systems 4. two-party system This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. Why do some countries have only one political party in power? A one-party state is a country in which one political party controls the government, either by law or in practice. In communist countries, this arrangement intends to establish a socialist regime during the transition from capitalism, with the party acting as the enforcer of the dictatorship of the proletariat. In less-developed countries, one-party rule has been justified as a means to unify the country and minimize ethnic divisions. [...] 4 Britannica Sources 1. political system: Hereditary succession 2. one-party state 3. military rule: Origins of military rule 4. authoritarianism: Single-party authoritarianism This answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. What are some examples of countries with a one-party system? A one-party state is a country in which one political party controls the government, either legally or in practice. These systems often feature a dominant party that maintains power through various means. Examples of countries with one-party systems include: \ China Ruled by the Chinese Communist Party \ Cuba \ Eritrea \ North Korea [...] one-party state, a country where a single political party controls the government, either by law or in practice. Examples of one-party states include North Korea, China, Eritrea, and Cuba. German troops German troopsA Nazi Party rally at Nürnberg, Germany, in 1933.