Single-party state
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A single-party state or one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system and form of government where only a single political party dominates the government and no opposition parties are allowed. This is generally viewed as creating a dictatorship, and many (though not all) actual dictatorships represent themselves as one-party states. Examples of dictatorships that are not one-party states include military dictatorships, which often attempt to ban all party politics during their rule. A one-party system should not be confused with a dominant-party system in which an opposition is not officially prohibited, but it is largely ineffective (has no realistic chance of becoming the government). Where the ruling party subscribes to a form of Marxism-Leninism, the one-party system is usually called a communist state.
Single-party states often pay lip service to democracy (and this is especially true in the case of communist states, who often go so far as to insert the word "democratic" in their official name, largely because the Marxist-Leninist ideology which they claim to uphold does call for democratic government), but without a choice of different parties, elections in single-party states are usually largely symbolic. Although other political parties are sometimes allowed by the government, these other parties must subordinate themselves to the dominant party and cannot function as an opposition. The existence of other parties is sometimes justified by appeals to a united front. Also, some one-party states may allow non-party members to run for legislative seats, as was the case with Taiwan's Tangwai movement in the 1970s and 1980s.
In most cases, single-party states have arisen from fascist, communist or nationalist ideologies, particularly in the wake of independence from colonial rule. One-party systems often arise from decolonization because one party has had an overwhelmingly dominant role in liberation or in independence struggles.
One-party states justify themselves in various ways. One common justification is that multi-party systems introduce too much division and are unsuitable for economic and political development. This argument was particular popular during the mid-20th century, as many developing nations sought to emulate the Soviet Union, which had transformed itself from a backward, agrarian nation into a superpower. A common counter-argument is that one-party systems have a tendency to become rigid and unwilling to accept change, which renders them unable to deal with new situations and may result in their collapse. This counter-argument became more widely held as the 20th century drew to a close and the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact collapsed. Finally, one-party states are often criticized for their disrespect towards human rights.
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Examples
The following countries are single-party states as of 2004:
- Burma / Myanmar1
- People's Republic of China (Communist Party of China leads the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference)
- Cuba (Communist Party of Cuba)
- Eritrea (People's Front for Democracy and Justice)
- North Korea (Korean Workers' Party leads the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland)
- Laos (Lao People's Revolutionary Party leads the Lao Front for National Construction)
- Syria (Ba'ath Party leads the National Progressive Front)
- Turkmenistan (Democratic Party of Turkmenistan)
- Vietnam (Communist Party of Vietnam leads the Vietnamese Fatherland Front)
Examples of former single-party states include:
- many governments in Sub-Saharan Africa after independence, although all except Eritrea have converted to a multi-party system.
- Angola (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola-Labour Party) 1975-1991
- Benin (Benin People's Revolutionary Party) 1975-1990
- Burundi (Union for National Progress) 1966-1976, 1979-1992
- Cameroon (Cameroonian National Union 1966-1985/Cameroon People's Democratic Movement 1985-1990)
- Cape Verde (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde 1975-1981/African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde 1981-1990)
- Central African Republic (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa) 1962-1979, (Central African Democratic Union) 1980-1981, (Central African Democratic Rally) 1987-1991
- Chad (Chadian Progressive Party 1962-1973/National Movement for the Cultural and Social Revolution 1973-1975), (National Union for Independence and Revolution) 1989-1990
- Comoros (Comorian Union for Progress) 1982-1990
- Congo-Brazzaville (National Revolutionary Movement) 1964-1968, (Congolese Labour Party) 1969-1990
- Côte d'Ivoire (Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1990
- Djibouti (People's Rally for Progress) 1981-1992
- Equatorial Guinea (Worker's National United Party) 1970-1979, (Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea) 1987-1991
- Ethiopia (Worker's Party of Ethiopia) 1987-1991
- Gabon (Gabonese Democratic Party) 1968-1990
- Ghana (Convention People's Party) 1964-1966
- Guinea (Democratic Party of Guinea) 1958-1984
- Guinea-Bissau (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde) 1974-1991
- Kenya (Kenya African National Union) 1982-1990
- Madagascar (National Front for the Defence of the Revolution) 1976-1989
- Malawi (Malawi Congress Party) 1966-1993
- Mali (Sudanese Union-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1968, (Democratic Union of the Malian People) 1979-1991
- Mauritania (Mauritanian People's Party) 1961-1978
- Mozambique (Mozambique Liberation Front) 1975-1990
- Niger (Nigerien Progressive Party-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1974, (National Movement for a Developing Society) 1989-1991
- Rwanda (Democratic Republican Party-Party of the Hutu Emancipation Movement) 1965-1973, (National Revolutionary Movement for Development) 1978-1991
- São Tomé and Príncipe (Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe) 1975-1990
- Senegal (Socialist Party) 1966-1974
- Seychelles (Seychelles People's Progressive Front) 1979-1991
- Sierra Leone (All People's Congress) 1978-1991
- Somalia (Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party) 1976-1991
- Sudan (Sudanese Socialist Union) 1971-1985
- Tanzania (Tanganyika African National Union) 1965-1975; Zanzibar (Afro-Shirazi Party 1965-1992; TANU and ASP merged to form (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) 1975-1992
- Togo (Rally of the Togolese People) 1969-1991
- Uganda (Uganda People's Congress) 1969-1971
- Upper Volta (Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally) 1960-1966
- Zambia (United National Independence Party) 1972-1990
- Zaïre (Popular Movement of the Revolution) 1967-1990
- many Middle Eastern and North African governments such as
- Algeria (FLN)
- Iraq (Ba'ath Party)
- South Yemen (YSP)
- Tunisia (ND/RCD)
- Western Sahara (Polisario)
- the former Soviet Union and the governments of the countries of the Warsaw Pact at that time, which were ruled by Communist parties.
- Germany under the Nazi Party
- Spain under Francisco Franco
- Portugal under Salazar and Marcello Caetano
- Taiwan under the Kuomintang
Notes
- The Burmese / Myanmar military, which has ruled the country since 1988, created a "National Unity Party" to give the régime a civilian façade. An election held in 1990 was nullified. The legal status of the winner of that election, the National League for Democracy (NLD), is in flux.
See also
External links
- Map of One Party States, 1945-95 (http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/oneparty.htm)
- Single party states in Africa (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/14chapter11.shtml)nl:Eenpartijstelsel