Paper format: 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, 1” margins all around. APA style citations and bibliography. Should have an abstract, introduction that clearly states your research question, thesis, primary findings, and organization of paper. Choose one authoritarian state to compare with your assigned country. The one you choose should have a different political system (i.e. monarchy, single-party, or military regime or a so- called multi-party autocracy/hybrid regime) than your assigned country. I chose CHINA AND RUSSIA 1. Define and classify the two countries by giving details about the political system, government structure, etc. 2. Think about the sorts of paths that lead to the formation of an authoritarian regime. What paths led the two countries you are comparing to become the type of dictatorships they are today? Has the nature of the dictatorship changed from an earlier version? If so, how and why? 3. Drawing on the theories from the readings, compare the countries and discuss the endurance factor. According to the literature, how likely are the two countries to stay authoritarian? Is there possibility that the dictatorships may break down? If so, under what conditions? 4. Make sure to include a discussion of both the Freedom House and Democracy index scores in your answer, plus an analysis of the factors and method they use. What are the weaknesses and strengths of those indices?