PART 1. POLITICAL REGIMES IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY 1. Clan and Tribal Authority. First processes of social segmentation and political centralization: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, Tahuantinsuyo. 2. Tyranny, oligarchy and democracy in Greece. Monarchy, republic, princedom and dominion in Rome. 3. The practise of feudalism 4. National monarchies of the High Modern Age. Absolutism and its manifestations. 5. The first representative systems: England and the United Provinces. Theory and practice of illustrated despotism 6. The French and American revolutions. Political positions 7. Revolutions in the 19th Century. Liberal and authoritarian regimes. 8. Totalitarianisms and parliamentary democracies until World War II 9. Political regimes at the time of the Iron Curtain. 10. Perestroika and political evolution. PART 2. CURRENT POLITICAL REGIMES 11. Democracies I: Concept of democracy, minimalist and substantive definitions of democracy. Democracy Indexes. Classifying political regimes. 12. Democracies II:Governments in parliamentary systems (formation, fall, early elections). Type of cabinets. Presidential systems (clash between le- gislative and executive branches, parliamentarization of presidential systems). Semi-presidentialism. 13. Dictatorships: The monarchy. The military regimes. The civil dictatorships (dominant party and personalist dictatorship). The electoral authoritaria- nism. PART 3. THE DYNAMICS OF POLITICAL REGIMES 14. Resources and economy: The legitimacy of political systems. Economy and democracy. La curse of natural resources. 15. Transitions to democracy I: Top-bottom transitions. Models of negotiation in transitions to democracy. Liberalization, transition and democratic con- solidation. 16. Transitions to democracy II: Revolutionary processes. Collective actions dilemma. Structural and subjective explanations to revolts.