Mikhail Gorbachev’s death this August reminded us of the extraordinary collapse of the Soviet Union, which began when Estonia declared its sovereignty in 1988. In their book, Revolution and Dictatorship, Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way show how revolutionary regimes tend to survive three times longer than non-revolutionary ones, thanks to their three essential pillars of durability: elite cohesion, a powerful and loyal coercive apparatus, and the absence of alternative power centres. But, while revolutionary regimes that temper their radicalism tend to be more vulnerable, so too are non-revolutionary autocracies, such as the ones in Spain and North Korea. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
