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AP Comparative Government & Politics — Cheatsheet

Formulas, exam-day tips, and key terms on one page.

On the exam

Keep the four core terms sharp: **state** (sovereign territory), **nation** (shared identity), **regime** (enduring rules/institutions), **government** (current officeholders). AP prompts frequently test whether you can tell a change of *government* (an election) from a change of *regime* (a revolution).
Do not equate "holds elections" with "democracy." Russia and Iran hold elections but are hybrid/authoritarian because competition is managed. On the exam, judge a regime by whether power is genuinely **contested and constrained**, not just by whether ballots are cast.
When a prompt describes a democracy that "cannot deliver," reach for **state capacity**, not regime type. AP loves scenarios where a country is democratic in form but weak in practice (Nigeria) versus authoritarian but effective (China) — separate the two dimensions explicitly.
For every executive question, ask two things: (1) Is the executive accountable to the legislature (parliamentary) or elected separately for a fixed term (presidential)? (2) Are the head-of-state and head-of-government roles combined or split? These two axes classify all six countries.
Watch for bicameralism tracking federalism: federal states (**Russia, Mexico, Nigeria**) tend to have a second chamber representing regions, while the unitary authoritarian systems (**China, Iran**) are unicameral. The UK is unitary but bicameral — a useful exception to remember.
The UK’s historic principle of **parliamentary sovereignty** means Parliament’s statutes were traditionally supreme and not subject to being struck down by courts — a sharp contrast with strong judicial review. Note the 2009 UK Supreme Court can review *government actions* but this legislative-supremacy tradition still shapes the system.
On cleavage questions, state both the *type* and the *effect*: cross-cutting → moderates conflict; coinciding/reinforcing → intensifies conflict. Then anchor it to a country (Nigeria for reinforcing ethnic-religious-regional divides) for full credit.
Link civil society to democratization: a strong, independent civil society supports democratic transition and consolidation, which is exactly why authoritarian regimes (China, Russia, Iran) work to co-opt, corporatize, or repress it. State that causal link explicitly in essays.
Rank media freedom across the six: **UK** (free) → **Mexico/Nigeria** (free but journalists endangered) → **Russia/Iran** (state-controlled, censored) → **China** (most controlled, Great Firewall). Free-response prompts often ask you to compare two countries’ media environments directly.
Memorize the pairing: **FPTP → two parties** (UK), **PR → many parties + coalitions**, **mixed → in between** (Mexico, Russia). When a prompt changes the electoral rules, predict the party-system effect through Duverger’s law for full credit.
Distinguish **one-party** (rivals banned — China) from **dominant-party** (rivals legal but never win — Russia, historic PRI Mexico). The presence of *legal but powerless* opposition is the giveaway for a dominant-party system.
Contrast the two interest-group models cleanly: **pluralism** = many groups, open competition, no guaranteed access (UK); **corporatism** = few recognized groups with privileged access, and in its **state** form the government controls them (China). Name the model *and* the country.
Frame globalization questions around the **sovereignty tradeoff**: integration brings economic benefits but requires ceding policy control, and backlash (Brexit) reclaims sovereignty at economic cost. Naming both sides of the tradeoff earns fuller credit than describing only one.
China’s reforms make a key comparative point: **economic liberalization does not require political liberalization**. Use China versus post-Soviet Russia to show that market reform can pair with authoritarian control (China) or with disruptive privatization and oligarchy (Russia).
Always ask whether change alters the **regime** (revolution — Iran 1979) or only the **government/leaders** (a coup, or a normal election). And watch for **democratic backsliding**: an elected leader keeping democratic forms while gutting their substance is a frequent, high-value exam concept.

How to get a 5

Always be prepared to compare at least two countries. The course is 'Comparative' Government, so FRQs will ask you to identify a concept and explain how it looks different in two specific core countries.
Use the precise vocabulary. Don't say 'rules'; say 'regime.' Don't say 'country'; say 'state.' Demonstrating mastery of political science terminology earns points.
Understand that legitimacy (the right to rule) can come from multiple sources: rational-legal (constitutions, elections), traditional (monarchy), or charismatic (a revolutionary leader).
Be aware of current events up to the year before the exam, particularly regarding leadership changes, major protests, or shifts in electoral laws in the six core countries.
Every free-response point in this course is earned with a country-specific noun. Replace "the legislature can check the executive" with "the House of Commons can remove the prime minister through a vote of no confidence." Build a one-page fact sheet per country listing the legislature name and seat count, the electoral formula, the executive’s term, and one signature policy or event.
Learn the six countries as three matched pairs so comparisons come pre-assembled: UK versus Russia (parliamentary democracy versus hybrid semi-presidentialism), China versus Iran (single-party performance legitimacy versus theocratic legitimacy), Mexico versus Nigeria (federal presidential systems that democratized recently and depend on resource revenue).
Master the difference between devolution and federalism, because it separates the UK and China from Russia, Mexico, and Nigeria. Devolved or provincial power is delegated and revocable by the center; federal power is constitutionally guaranteed. Exam distractors routinely call the UK federal.
Institutional numbers are cheap points: Commons 650, Duma 450 (225 plus 225), NPC about 3,000, Mexican Chamber 500 (300 plus 200), Nigerian Senate 109 and House 360, Iranian Majlis 290 and Guardian Council 12. Drill them until they are automatic, then use them as the specificity that lifts a vague answer to full credit.
On the Argument Essay, choose the thesis you can support with named institutions from two countries, not the thesis you find most persuasive. Write the claim, then immediately list the two country facts and the mechanism linking them, and reserve your last paragraph for a genuine counterargument you concede in part before rebutting.

Key terms

The Six Core Countries — United Kingdom, Russia, China, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria.

State vs. Nation vs. Regime — State: Monopoly on violence over a territory. Nation: Group of people with a shared identity. Regime: The fundamental rules and norms of politics (e.g., democratic vs. authoritarian).

Parliamentary vs. Presidential System — Parliamentary: Executive (PM) is chosen by the legislature (UK). Presidential: Executive is elected separately from the legislature (Mexico, Nigeria).

First-Past-The-Post (SMD) — Electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a district wins the sole seat. Tends to produce two-party systems (Duverger's Law). Used in UK, Nigeria.

Proportional Representation (PR) — Parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them. Tends to produce multiparty systems. Used in Russia (Duma).

Rentier State — A country that obtains a large portion of its revenue from the export of raw materials or leasing out natural resources to foreign entities (e.g., Iran, Russia, Nigeria via oil).

Illiberal Democracy / Hybrid Regime — A regime that has democratic mechanisms like elections, but lacks robust civil liberties, rule of law, and independent media (e.g., Russia under Putin).

Cleavages (Cross-cutting vs. Coinciding) — Cross-cutting: Divides society into many groups, reducing conflict. Coinciding (Cumulative): Identity divisions align (e.g., ethnicity + religion + class), escalating conflict (e.g., Nigeria).

Democratic Centralism — Leninist principle used in China: discussion is permitted among party members, but once a decision is made by the central leadership, all must obey unconditionally.

Devolution — The transfer of power from a central government to subnational/regional governments (e.g., UK giving power to Scottish Parliament).

Supranational Organization — An organization that has sovereign power over its member states in certain areas (e.g., the European Union vs. the UN).

Corporatism — A system where interest groups become an institutionalized part of the state, often limiting the formation of independent groups (common in authoritarian regimes and historically in Mexico under the PRI).

United Kingdom — regime type in one line — Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with an uncodified constitution and parliamentary sovereignty. Fused executive and legislature: the prime minister sits in and is accountable to the Commons; the monarch is a ceremonial head of state.

UK — the two chambers — House of Commons: 650 members elected by first-past-the-post in single-member districts; holds real legislative and confidence power. House of Lords: unelected life peers, bishops, and remaining hereditary peers; can delay but not permanently block most legislation.

UK devolution and Brexit dates — Devolution referendums 1997 (Scotland, Wales) and 1998 (Northern Ireland, Good Friday Agreement); Scottish independence referendum 2014 (No, about 55 percent); Brexit referendum June 2016 (Leave, about 51.9 percent); formal EU exit January 2020.

Russia — regime type in one line — Semi-presidential federation, widely classed as an illiberal or hybrid regime. A directly elected president with six-year terms dominates a prime minister and cabinet; elections occur but the playing field is controlled.

Russia — key institutions — State Duma: 450 seats, mixed since 2016 (225 single-member districts, 225 proportional with a 5 percent threshold). Federation Council: upper house representing regions. Siloviki: officials from security and military services who staff the elite. United Russia: the dominant party of power.

Russia — the "power vertical" — Recentralization of a formally federal state: presidential envoys over federal districts (2000), governors appointed rather than elected 2004–2012, fiscal dependence on Moscow, and 2020 amendments that reset presidential term counting to allow Putin to run again.

China — regime type in one line — Unitary, single-party communist state under Chinese Communist Party leadership, organized by democratic centralism. Authoritarian with performance-based legitimacy: the party claims the right to rule by delivering growth, order, and national strength.

China — who actually decides — Politburo Standing Committee (7 members) and the General Secretary sit at the apex; the Politburo and Central Committee below them; the National People’s Congress (nearly 3,000 delegates, meeting about ten days each March) ratifies. The State Council, headed by the premier, is the government bureaucracy.

China — key policy terms — Household responsibility system (1978 onward): family farming replaced collectives. Special economic zones (Shenzhen, 1980): market openings for foreign investment. Hukou: household registration tying benefits to locality, creating a migrant underclass. Nomenklatura: party control of appointments to key posts.

Mexico — regime type in one line — Federal presidential republic with 31 states plus Mexico City. President serves a single six-year sexenio with an absolute ban on reelection, a legacy of the Revolution and reaction against Porfirio Díaz.

Mexico — legislature and elections — Chamber of Deputies: 500 seats (300 single-member plurality, 200 proportional). Senate: 128 seats. Elections run by an autonomous authority: the IFE, created 1990 and strengthened 1996, renamed the INE in 2014. A 2014 reform permitted consecutive legislative reelection beginning in 2018.

Mexico — democratization milestones — PRI held the presidency 1929–2000 as a hegemonic party using patronage and co-optation. 1997: PRI lost its Chamber majority. 2000: Vicente Fox (PAN) won, the first alternation of power. 2018: Andrés Manuel López Obrador won for MORENA, a third alternation.