Authoritarianism and Democracy
Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism (nondemocratic regimes)
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Authoritarianism is a
• Totalitarianism is a highly
political regime where a
centralized regime that
small group of individuals
possesses some form of strong
exercises power over the
ideology that seeks to
state without being
transform and absorb aspects
of the state, society, and the
constitutionally responsible
economy.
to the public.
Authoritarian Regimes are • It seeks to use power to
transform the total fabric of a
built upon the restriction of
nation, which distinguishes it
individual freedom.
from authoritarianism.
They are, rarely, driven by
• Totalitarianism shatters human
ideology, but rather
will, and destroys the ability of
through the whims of those
individuals to create or aspire
in power.
to freedom.
Methods of Political Control
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Some authoritarian nations use coercion, or
compelling behavior by threatening harm.
Surveillance allows the government to
prevent opposition from organizing and instills
uncertainty among the population.
Co-optation rewards individuals outside an
organization by bringing them into a beneficial
relationship with them. They are, thus,
dependent on the regime for certain rewards.
Personality cults are where the image of a
leader is promoted not only as a political figure
but as someone who embodies the spirit of the
nation.
Types of Nondemocratic rule
1. Personal/Monarchial rule rests on
the claim that one person alone is fit to
rule a country with no clear regime or
roles to constrain that person’s rule.
• Often, this person depends on a
collection of supporters within the state
who gains direct benefits in return for
enforcing the ruler’s will. This is called
patrimonialism.
Types of Nondemocratic rule
2.
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Military Rule is, increasingly, more
common in states that are struggling
with legitimacy and stability and in those
where there is a high level of public
unrest or violence. In this case, the
military sees itself as the only organized
force able to ensure stability.
Often, military rulers emerge through a
coup, where the military takes over the
government by force.
Types of Nondemocratic rule
3. One-party rule is when a single political part
monopolizes politics with other parties banned
or excluded from power.
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The party usually consists of only a small minority
of the population and combines itself with larger
corporatist regimes of public control. These can
be, otherwise, classified as oligarchies.
Members of the party are, often, granted privileges
that are denied to the public at large.
These parties rule because a large group of
individuals in society benefit from the regime and
are, therefore, willing to defend it.
Often, associated with communism and fascism.
4. Theocracies are defined as “rule by
God.” The faith of the people and its
leaders are the foundation for these
kinds of political regimes.
Participation in an Authoritarian
Regime
• Although
political
participation is
generally
restricted in
authoritarian
regimes, the
following forms
of participation
are often
allowed to
some citizens or
practiced by
others in order
to gain control
of government:
• Joining political parties, serving as
a member of the party, standing
for office.
• Petitioning (e-mail, phone calls,
letters, face-to-face meetings) ,
expressing political views on the
Internet.
• Voting
• Protests/demonstrations, attending
rallies, boycotting, strikes.
• Civil disobedience.
• Coups d’état, revolutions,
resistance movements, political
violence.
• Forming interest groups, joining
social movements, citizens’ policy
meetings (mass line)
Bureaucracies in Authoritarian
Regimes
• Recruitment is based on affiliations.
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Party affiliation (ruling, single party)
Clan/tribal affiliations
Personal connections
Patronage, patron-client systems
Nomenklatura (Soviet System)
Camarillas (Mexico)
Guan xi (China)
• Merit is NOT the primary basis for recruitment
• Large size because of authoritarian goals (e.g., monitor
population)
• Less transparency compared with bureaucracies in
democratic systems.
• The authoritarian regime uses the bureaucracy to
distribute material benefits in return for loyalty to the
regime.
• This helps to effectively implement policy
because :
– Creates greater cohesiveness in policy
implementation.
– Insulates decision makers from pressure
groups and ensures policy is not diluted.
– Ensures policy continuity
– Facilitates building support for policy within
bureaucracy.
Illiberal Regimes/Illiberal
Democracies
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Illiberal Regimes are those that appear
like other established democracies but,
procedurally, are not democratic.
Democratic rights are not
institutionalized or respected.
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The democratic process is restricted to a
great degree. Elections are held without
regard to civil liberties/rights/human rights.
There is large-scale disenfranchisement,
probably on ethnic/racial grounds
Access to the media is often restricted
State institutions like the judiciary, the
military, or state-run industries are under the
direct control of government who, then, uses
it to control political opposition.
Small/weak civil society
Democracies
What is Democracy?
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The word democracy means many
different things to many different
people. For many, “democratic”
means good things and
“nondemocratic” means bad.
At its core, democracy is defined as
“political power exercised either
directly or indirectly through
participation, competition, and
liberty.”
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Democracy can be defined as “a political
system in which citizens enjoy a number of
basic civil and political rights, and in which
their most important political leaders are
elected in free and fair elections and
accountable under a rule of law.”
Democratic Regime-includes set of institutions
that allow citizens to choose the makers of
public policy in free, competitive elections.
A liberal democracy is the term used by
many political scientists to imply a system that
promotes participation, competition, and
liberty. These types of democracies are rooted
in the idea of liberalism, with an emphasis in
individual rights and freedom.
Institutionalizing
Democracy
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Participation is central to a liberal democracy. The most
basic way to participate is through voting and elections.
Through these, the public is given the opportunity to have
control over public officials and their policies.
In a liberal democracy, suffrage (the right to vote) must
be available to all adult citizens with few restrictions.
*None of the following are controlled by the Government in a liberal
Democracy (as opposed to illiberal democracy)*
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Judiciary
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Executive
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Legal system
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Election system
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Elections
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Electoral commissions
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Party system
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Legislature
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Media
Common Characteristics Associated
With Liberal Democracies
1. Sustained and recurring national
elections
2. Competitive political parties
3. Civilian control over the military
4. An independent judiciary
Characteristics of Political
Parties in Democracies
• Dictate policy.
• Offer competitive alternatives.
• Provide peaceful transfer of power from losers
to winners.
• “Gives a voice” to the people.
Democratization
• “Democratization” is commonly referred
to when speaking of the spread of
democracy throughout the world but
more specifically it is
– “the transformation process from nondemocratic regime to procedural democracy
to substantive democracy”
Functions of Political Parties in
Authoritarian and Democratic Systems
• Linkage institutions (connect people with the
government).
• Staff government (bureaucracy)
• Recruit leaders
• Articulate ideology
• Mobilize citizens.
• Aggregate interests.
• Propose policy/policy formation/shape policy.
• Political socialization/educating the public
• Legitimacy.
Issues:
• Not all democracies are succeeding and no
one knows how long many will last.
• There is no guarantee that democracies will
grant human rights and civil liberties to all
people. Democracies are supposed to find a
balance between respecting the will of the
majority and protecting the rights of the
minority.
Issues
• There are a number of cultural
disagreements about various civil rights
and civil liberties:
– Some nations feel that freedom of speech
should not be protected when used for
blasphemy or to put down various social
groups.
– Gender equality is important in many western
nations but many Muslim countries find this
religiously unacceptable.
– Capital punishment is acceptable in many
societies, but many Western societies consider
it inhumane.
Types of substantial
democracies
• PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEMS
• PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS
PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OF
DEMOCRACY
• citizens vote for legislative
representatives, who in turn select the
leaders of the executive branch
– the principle of parliamentary sovereignty
governs the decision making process.
Although theoretically untrue, no separation
exists between the executive and legislative
branches (legislative branch is controlled by
the same party as the executive- the
majority). There is a separation in the
executive branch, however, between the
head of state (symbolic) and head of
government (runs the government).
PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM OF DEMOCRACY
• citizens vote for legislative
representatives as well as executive
branch leaders, and the two branches
function with separation of powers
• Head of state and head of government are
one person- the president, who is directly
elected by the people. Policy decision
making is slow because of the checks and
balances between the judicial, legislative,
and executive branches. In order for the
branches to be truly independent of each
other, they must have independent bases
of authority.