Authoritarianism. Political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to.

Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism

• Political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public

• Public does not play a significant role selecting or removing leaders from office

Authoritarianism

• Political leaders:– Develop policies that “dictate” to the people

• Built around the restriction of individual freedom• Eliminate people’s right to choose

– Leaders

• Restrict people’s – Liberties– Freedom of speech – Freedom of assembly

Authoritarianism

• Communism– Limit individual freedom in order to produce

greater social equality

• Others exist only to enhance the power of those in control

Authoritarianism: Regimes and Ideologies

• Fascism and Communism– Reject democracy– Favor powerful state; restricted freedoms

• Others:– Driven by those in power– “the Castro Regime”

Totalitarianism

• Practiced by authoritarian regimes• Seek to control and transform all aspects

of the state society, and economy• Use violence as a tool for remaking

institutions• Strong ideological goal• Risen rarely

– Happen when those in power profess a radical or reactionary political attitude

Totalitarianism

• Past governments (communist)– Joseph Stalin– China during the cultural revolution o f 1930-

1950’s– Cambodia: Khumer Rouge in the 1970’s

• Nazi Germany (except economically)

• Italy during WWII (never quite made it)

Totalitarianism

• North Korea– Dominate by totalist ideology

• backed by violence• Widespread fear• Absence of small personal freedoms

• Iraq (under Saddam Hussein’s)– Highly oppressed but not set ideology– Maintain and expand his political power– Violence: used to keeping him in control not

transformation of society

Authoritarian Rule Emerges

• Natural human organization and distribution of wealth

• Karl Marx:– Society emerged from coercion

• Few in power• Limiting freedoms• Increase own power at expense of society

• Rousseau– Emerged from desire for individuals to form society– Subdivision of natural state

Economic Sources of Authoritarianism

• Liberals (laissez-faire capitalism leads to author.)– Strong connection– Free markets: generate and distribute wealth– Creates a broad middle class

• More educated • Political goals• Limit power of political group

– No middle class• Poverty and inequality is great• Author. Regime develops: to defend economic wealth of a few• Author. Regime: forcibly distributes wealth among the majority


• Communists– Strong Connection – Capitalism is the source

• Middle class thrives on the backs of the poor• Democratic System would embrace

authoritarianism: keeps lower class under control.• Support it to exploit poorer countries

– Authoritarianism will thrive as long as inequality exists


• Failure of Capitalism – Affects of hyperinflation

• Generates wide spread insecurity and poverty • Leads to calls of drastic change• Curtail freedom for economic security

• Middle class (Nazi Germany)– Economic insecurity is the greatest threat to

their wealth– May accept authoritarianism


• Some argue in order to build a strong market economy– Political rights must be restricted– Focus on constructing market economy– Focus on attracting investors– Bread first/Ballots later

• South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore• Now: South Korea and Taiwan

– Fast growing and powerful economies – 1980-1990’s they democratize


• Not always a recipe for wealth• Capitalism and economic development coexist • Communist

– Increase state power/equal distribution of wealth– Personal freedom and societal wealth are threatened– Lose protection of property rights – State responsibility for all economic activity– Modern World: cause tens millions of deaths

• Both share the belief that wealth and its distribution are key to understanding the emergence and persistence of authoritarian rule

Authoritarianism and Society

• Culture view:– Certain cultural institutions are more amenable to

authoritarianism because they promote such values as hierarchy, community, over individual rights, and deference to authority

– Further you move away from the “West” states the fewer democracies one finds

• i.e. Middle East• Nationalism and citizenship are defined by allegiance to faith • Western Ideologies are almost alien • i.e. “Asian values”

– Not all countries seek to be democratic

Authoritarianism and Political Control

• Different state, regime, and government activities and institutions perpetuate authoritarianism

• Do authoritarian regimes by nature rely on force to intimidate a hostile public, or can authoritarianism be accepted or even embraced by the people?


• Violence and Surveillance– Compliance and obedience are often enforced

• Close observation and use of force against the population • Use violence as a mechanism of public control• Threaten those who challenge the political order

– Sever retribution

– Arbitrary arrest

– Detention without trial

– Torture

– Death

• “Death Squads”: police and military troops targeted individuals suspected of harboring political views


– Terror• Affected all individuals: writers, artist, students, farmers, and

workers • Accused of political sabotage • Fear that any one could be arrested

– Public could be controlled – Turn public against itself

– Close watch over the population • Prevents opposition from organizing • Instill uncertainty among population• Internal security force or “secret police”

– Monitor: public activity, spying individuals, interrogating members of the public

– Telephone tapping, creation of huge network of public informers


• Cooptation: process by which individuals outside of an organization are brought into a beneficial relationship with it, making them dependent on the system for certain rewards– Widespread under authoritarianism

• Coercion: public obedience is enforced through violence and surveillance


• Cooptation – Corporatism: authoritarian systems attempted to

solidify control over the public by creating or sanctioning a limited number of organizations to represent the interest of the public, and restricting those not set up or approved by the state

• Meant to replace independent organization • Find labor unions, agricultural associations, student groups,

neighborhood committees• State, society, and the market are viewed as a single body• Gives public a limited influence


• Clientelism: coopts the public by providing specific benefits or favors to a single person or small group in return for public support – Relies on individual patronage– Creates a patron-client relationship


• Coopting individuals:– State jobs, state-run sectors of the economy,

business contracts or licenses, public goods, kickbacks, and bribes

– Rent-seeking: political leaders essentially rent out parts of the state to their patrons, who as a result control public goods


• Economic resources: – Doled out for political reasons – Economic problems emerge – Resources are siphoned off


• Personality cult:– The public is encouraged to obey the leader

based on his or her extraordinary qualities and compelling ideas. all wise, all knowing, all seeing

– Role of Media and Culture • Promoted through: radio, news reports, public

rallies, art, music, films

Types of Authoritarian Rule

• Personal Rule– Rule by a single leader, with no clear regime

or rules constraining that leadership– Primary Tools of control

• Supporters within the state benefit directly from their alliance with the ruler (corruption)


• Military rule:– Ruled by one or more military officials, often

brought to power through a coup d’etat– Tools of control

• Control of armed forces sometimes also allied with business and state elites

• Bureaucratic authoritarianism


• One-Party Rule– Ruled by one political party, with other groups

banned or excluded from power– Tools of control

• Large party membership helps mobilize support and maintain public control, often in return for political or economic benefits


• Quais Democracy– Ruled by an elected leadership, though

through procedures of questionable democratic legitimacy

– Tools of control• Manipulation of democratic procedures, such as

vote-rigging or harassment of opposition

Authoritarianism

• Days numbered?

• All societies be democratic?

• Inequality clash with increased freedom?

• Will new secular or religious vision reject democracy?

• Do we enjoy a Brief aberration of authoritarian rule?

Authoritarianism. Political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to.

Documents

economic wealth

political powerviolence

state society

sourcemiddle class

lower class

market economyfocus

powerful economies

poordemocratic system