POLS 1301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Personalism

• School: Temple University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLS 1301
• Professor: Sarah S.Bush

Document Summary

4 types of dictators: machines, bosses, juntas, strongmen: machine civilian leader constrained by civilian elite. Junta military leader constrained by military audience: boss unconstrained leader of a civilian regime. Misconception about government type: democracies are not always more selective about initiating war than dictatorships, machines are less conflict prone than democracies. 2 key variables that influence a state"s willingness to go to war: degree of personalism, a personalist boss or strongman and nonpersonalist juntas are more likely to initiate war than civilian nonpersonalist machines. Personalist bosses and strongmen can usually survive defeat, while other autocrats are not so insulated: civil or military leadership. Additional variables: the influence of the public.