AUTHORITARIAN STATES

This topics examines the following aspects of 20th century authoritarian states:
  1. Reasons for their emergence
  2. Methods of consolidation and maintenance of power
  3. Aims and results of domestic and foreign policies
As with the causes and effects of war unit, this unit naturally lends itself to instilling international-mindedness in IB History students. Students have the opportunity to study a range of authoritarian states (it is recommended that students study a minimum of 3 authoritarian states) from different regions of the world. Examples of authoritarian states that could be studied include:

Europe
  • Germany (1933-45)- Adolf Hitler
  • Soviet Union (1924-53)- Josef Stalin
  • Italy (1922-45)- Benito Mussolini
  • Spain (1939-75)- Francisco Franco

Asia
  • Pakistan (1979-88)- Zia ul Haq
  • China (1949-76)- Mao Zedong
  • Cambodia (1975-9)- Pol Pot
  • Indonesia (1945-67)- Sukarno

Africa and the Middle East
  • Tanganyika/Tanzania (1960-85)- Julius Nyerere
  • Kenya (1963-78)- Jomo Kenyatta
  • Uganda (1971-9)- Idi Amin
  • Egypt (1956-70)- Gamal Abdel Nasser
  • Iraq (1979-2003)- Saddam Hussein

The Americas
  • Cuba (1959-2008)- Fidel Castro
  • Chile (1973-90)- Augusto Pinochet
  • Argentina (1945-54 and 1973-4)- Juan Peron
  • Brazil (1930-45 and 1951-4)- Getulio Vargas
  • Haiti (1957-71)- Francois Duvalier