To what extent was authoritarian control achieved in two 20th-century states? 

Candidates are required to consider the degree of authoritarian control achieved in two authoritarian states, which may or may not come from the same region. While the focus of response must be within the timeframe of this topic, the examples chosen need not be contemporaneous with each other. Candidates should go beyond description of measures and focus on the degree of control achieved. They may challenge the notion of full control. Areas for consideration could, among others, include the existence and role of representative institutions, control over, or elimination of, political parties which challenged the centre, control over institutions such as trade unions, the army or churches, control over culture and the media, bureaucratic efficiency and the effectiveness of security services, which may or may not have been dependent on informers and public support. The states may be considered separately or a thematic approach may be adopted.