Craig Hawkins Prof. Sante 11/16/14 Theory of Democratic Peace

Throughout the world there are numerous countries that are ruled by different political systems, in which every country is entitled to do so. Although some systems are viewed more favorably than others, in this paper the political systems discussed will be the democratic, authoritarian and totalitarian systems. These political systems will be analyzed in relation to the Theory of Democratic Peace. This theory argues that nation-states governed by democratic regimes do not have conflicts with other countries that would lead to wars. Through the analyses of the Theory of Democratic Peace in relation to the democratic system: United States, authoritarian system: China and totalitarian system: Iraq, I find this theory to be inaccurate.

The United States is a country governed by democratic rule. As a democratic country the U.S. emphasizes rights, liberties and justice. Since 1776 the United States has only evolved through democracy along to a population that now holds “316,128,839 million people” (quickfacts.census.gov). “The majority of the population is made up in 77.7 % Whites, 17.1 % in Hispanic/Latinos and 13.2 % in African Americans (quickfacts.census.gov). The United States economy has many liberties and opportunities for financial gain. The United States itself is projected to earn “5.7 trillion dollars in revenue during the year of 2014” (usgovernmentrevenue.com). The United States economy is sustained mostly through taxes. Sources of revenue that come from taxes are income taxes, social insurance taxes, ad valorem taxes and business taxes. “The United States is the third largest country in the world and borders two other countries: Canada and Mexico” (geography.about.com). The United States climate changes throughout the course of the year, entering all four seasons. “The United States was recognized as an independent nation by Great Britain in 1783 following the American Revolution” (1775-1783)(usa.gov). The Declaration of Independence represents freedom the United States won, on July 4th the U.S. celebrates this day. Major following events to come The Civil War between northern and southern states from 1861-1865 which ultimately led to Barack Obama being elected the first black President of the United States” (infoplease.com). Within the United States lies the core of how the country is governed starting first with the Constitution. The United Sates is governed through three different branches, The Executive Branch: where a great deal of power is held by the President, The Legislative Branch: consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate and The Judicial Branch: “courts systems that harbor the judgment responsibilities for what is considered fair and considered justice” (whitehouse.gov). Country based decisions are made within these branches by the people within the Congress and Senate. Congress is made up of the House of Representatives (435 elected members) and the Senate (100 Senators). The constitution grants Congress to make legislative decisions. The senate agrees to pass laws and send them to the President for approval. ”Both the House and the Senate must pass the same bill by majority vote” (whitehouse.gov). Together these different parts of government work together to uphold the democratic system in place.

China is a country governed under authoritarian rule. Authoritarian ruled countries “are governed by a small group that do not attempt to control everything, instead limiting individual freedoms in favor of hierarchical organization of command, obedience and order” (Roskin 97). Under authoritarian rule China has grown it’s population to 1,355,692,576 billion people. 47 % of the population are between the ages of 25-54 years of age, 17.1 % of population are between the ages of 0-14 years of age, (indexmundi.com/china). The economy is very much profitable in terms of creating revenue for