Prerequisite: GVPT200.

Restriction: Must be in Government & Politics program or Government & Politics: International Relations program.

This course explores the world of authoritarian regimes. What are authoritarian regimes? How do dictators consolidate power? Why do some authoritarian regimes survive for decades, while others prove short-lived? Under what conditions do authoritarian regimes democratize?How does theinternational system affect the behavior and survival of dictatorships? Why do some authoritarian regimes frequently resort to interstate war and/or domestic repression to pursue their political goals? This course will address these and other theoretical questions, drawing on cases of dictatorship from around the world and contemporary political science scholarship regarding authoritarian regime origins, conduct, survival and collapse