Since the 19th Party Congress, China has been asserting its model of (authoritarian) governance as an alternative to liberal democracy and affirming its desire to export it. Since it can harm their...Show moreSince the 19th Party Congress, China has been asserting its model of (authoritarian) governance as an alternative to liberal democracy and affirming its desire to export it. Since it can harm their economy and political power, boldly voicing the goal of authoritarian expansionism seems counterproductive. There is no consensus on the driving force behind China's authoritarian expansionism. This thesis employs a multidisciplinary approach to formulate a more nuanced and comprehensive explanation. Three established explanations—‘security from foreign intervention,’ ‘popular legitimacy through ideology,’ and ‘solving elite rivalry’—are identified and tested using process tracing to find the most plausible explanation. None of the explanations emerged as adequate; therefore, this thesis proposes a new explanation of ‘regime survival’ as the primary driving force behind authoritarian expansionism. 'Popular legitimacy through ideology,’ and ‘solving elite rivalry,' are domestic dynamics that interact and threaten regime preservation. Authoritarian expansionism allows for policies that could resolve these threats, at least in the short term.Show less
The Zanzibar Revolution reflected the decades of racial oppression and injustice on the African majority population. From the Portuguese to the Omani Sultanate to the British, and once Zanzibar...Show moreThe Zanzibar Revolution reflected the decades of racial oppression and injustice on the African majority population. From the Portuguese to the Omani Sultanate to the British, and once Zanzibar became independent, A political party dominated by the Arab minority, the Zanzibar Nationalist Party (ZNP), came into power. This triggered the Zanzibar Revolution and resulted in a new government forming with a coalition between the Afro-Shirazi Party and the Umma Party. At the same time, the influences of the Cold War played an important factor in the revolution.This leads to the research question: how did foreign intervention influence the Zanzibar Revolution? By analysing the influence that the choice of ideology can have and how it can affect the types of intervention, it becomes clear that the communist bloc had a significant influence on the Zanzibar revolution and especially on the new Zanzibar government.Show less
