Reading Comprehension

PT110 · S1 · P1 · Q2 Authoritarian Rulers and Democratic Reforms

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Most authoritarian rulers who undertake democratic reforms do so not out of any intrinsic commitment or conversion to democratic ideals, but rather because they foresee or recognize that certain changes and mobilizations in civil society make it impossible for them to hold on indefinitely to absolute power.

Topic

Why authoritarian rulers sometimes choose to implement democratic reforms

Framework

Problem / Solution

Main Point

Most authoritarian rulers introduce democratic reforms not because they believe in democracy, but because shifts in society—such as changing values, economic interests, and increased autonomy among citizens—make their absolute power unsustainable. (Most Valuable Sentence: First sentence of the passage; also summarized in the final sentence of the passage.)

P1: Authoritarian Rulers’ Motives for Reform

Authoritarian leaders don’t usually reform out of love for democracy. They do it because changes in society force their hand.

P2: The First Big Change—Shifting Norms and Values

People’s values evolve over time, which can lead to less tolerance for repression and more activism for democratic rights, especially after experiencing harsh regimes.

P3: The Second Big Change—Economic Interests Shift

If economic elites (like landowners and business leaders) decide authoritarian rule isn’t working for them, their support can turn to democratic transitions, as seen in places like the Philippines.

2.

The author's attitude toward authoritarian regimes is most accurately described as which one of the following?

  1. uncertainty whether the changes in

    Out of Scope: genuine progress

    The author doesn't delve into whether the democratic reforms actually are significant changes or purely symbolic. Instead, the author is talking about whether the reforms are motivated by an honest desire for democratic reform, or by a cynical long-term power calculation that reasons that "if I don't signal some willingness to have democratic reforms, this whole society is gonna turn on me".

    7% picked this

  2. puzzlement about the motives of

    Out of Scope: puzzlement

    The author doesn't seem puzzled. It feels more like she's crystal clear on what's going on in the minds of authoritarian rulers -- their motive is to hang onto power, and the wise ones (the "more astute" ones) recognize that "their only hope of retaining some power in the future" is to grant some democratic political changes.

    5% picked this

  3. Correct

    confidence that most authoritarian regimes

    Why this is right

    This is a pretty strongly worded answer, but the author's final paragraph contains some wording to justify it. How do we match up most authoritarian regimes? The first sentence of the last paragraph says, authoritarian rule tends in the long run to generate all three types of changes. This "three changes" traces back to the beginning of the 2nd paragraph: three major types of changes can contribute to a society's no longer condoning the continuation of authoritarian rule. So most authoritarian regimes generate all three types of changes (each of which can contribute to a society becoming intolerant of authoritarian rule). The sentence before that (the end of the 1st) was talking about changes in civil society that make it impossible for authoritarians to hold on to absolute power. The final sentence of the passage is saying something strong, authoritarian rules will ... realize that their only hope of retaining some power is to match democratic social changes with democratic political changes.

    Skill tested: Author's Attitude · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    79% picked this

  4. insistence that authoritarian rule constitutes

    Too Strong: insistence / intrinsically unjust

    Even though this is an appealing common sense view on authoritarianism, the author is not seen insisting that it's intrinsically unjust. In fact the last paragraph actually acknowledges that authoritarian government can be successful at producing economic growth and maintaining social order, providing a successful sense of stability.

    6% picked this

  5. concern that authoritarian rulers will

    Out of Scope: concern

    The author isn't ever projecting a concern that at some point authoritarian rulers will figure out a way to maintain their power without astutely caving to demands for some democratic reforms. The passage is written with a sense of unavoidable-ness to it. We have this cycle where authoritarian rule eventually gets threatened by social changes, and the unwise authoritarians get toppled whereas the wise ones realize that conceding some democratic reforms can help sustain their power.

    3% picked this

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