1. Many scholars think that civil society is important for the development of democracy. (a) Define civil society. Civil society is comprised of groups that act outside of the government that are there to benefit the people. (b) Identify and explain one specific condition within a political system that would enable civil society to thrive. Civil society would thrive in a democracy because they emphasize individual values and rights, and part of those rights is being able to express and join groups that they see valuable. (c) Identify and explain another specific condition within a political system that would enable civil society to thrive. Another condition within a political system that allows a civil society to thrive is having free speech written into the constitution of a state. If that is written into the constitution, it allows for people to exercise this right. 2. Since 2000, the Russian government has undermined civil society groups. (a) Describe two restrictions to civil society adopted after Vladimir Putin became president in 2000. One restriction to civil society since Putin became president is was the increase of the media control. With the greater government control of the media there is less free speech and more pressure against actions and groups that may conflict with the government. This decreases the civil engagement of the people because of the government pressure. Another restriction to civil society since Putin became president is in 2012 when Russia passed the foreign agents law which required NGOs that received funding and that engage in political activities to register as foreign agents. This came with a negative connotation which made it challenging for these to operate. (b) Explain why the Russian government restricts civil society. Russian government restricts civil society because it allows the government to remain in power. If the people are able to assemble together to do things that could potentially go against government, the government will restrict that. (c) Describe one example of political activity that indicates civil society has persisted despite these restrictions. One example is the anti corruption campaign led by Alexei Navalny and his supporters. Despite facing imprisonment and crackdowns, his movement has organized protests and exposed corruptions. (d) Explain why the Russian government continues to allow some civil society groups. Some are allowed because the government sees them as helpful and not against the ideas of the government. 3. A. Using the data in the table, identify the Chinese organization with the most active members. The Chinese organization with the most active members is sport or recreational organization. B. Using the data in the table, describe a pattern for active members in organizations. The more democratic a state is, the more people are active in different organizations. C. Describe civil society. Civil Society is voluntary organizations separate from the government, there to help and support and provide value to citizens. D. Using the data in the table, draw a conclusion about civil society. It can be seen that all states have some degree of a civil society, but the magnitude of the participation on the civil society changes from nation to nation. E. Explain what the data imply for democratization. The data implies that more democratic countries create an environment for a larger civil society to blossom and thrive.