Question

Identify the country which has never been under military rule
A. Pakistan
B. Chile
C. Poland
D. Mexico

Answer 1

Hint: Military rule, be it military dictatorship or a military regime, is very rarely a chosen form of government in any country. Thus, in the case that a country has such such a rule, it is usually after gaining it through force and violence. Countries with a very unstable or divided society are at a greater risk of having such a government.

Complete answer:
A military rule can be of two types. Military dictatorship is when a single person, who has complete control over the military departments, holds the power. A military regime on the other hand is when a group of high ranking officers limit and control the official ruler. For any of these kinds of rule to be set up, the military leaders often take advantage of the broken and divided social classes to rise to power, or they do it by forcefully snatching away power from the official head of government.

A. Pakistan was established as an independent country in 1947, and began with a democratic government. But the military has always been a very strong institution. Beginning in 1953, Pakistan has seen four successful military coups, and even now it is heavily controlled by the military. Thus this is not the correct answer.

B. Chile's democratically elected socialist government, led by Salvador Allende was overthrown by a military coup in September 1973. It remained under a military dictatorship for the next seventeen years till March 1990. So, this is not the correct answer.

C. Poland was placed under Martial Law on 13th December 1981, by the then Prime Minister Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski. It continued till July in 1983. Therefore, this is not the correct option either.

D. Mexico gained independence after a long drawn battle, and took even longer to find stability as a country. While the military was very powerful during the colonial and independence era, the country has never been under the direct rule of the military. Thus, Mexico is the correct answer.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option D.

Note:
- Currently, around 19% of countries in the world have military governments.
- It is often wrongly assumed that a military rule would be long lasting due to the direct use of power. History has shown that these governments are usually much less stable.
- It is interesting to note that Mexico having the military under the firm control of the civilian government is in contrast to most other Latin American countries.