Democracy,
Totalitarianism, and
Authoritarianism
Mr. Aaron
BBS
Modern Democracy
• Democratic countries need thoughtful citizens, limits on
power, rule of law and human and civil rights.
• Representative democracy (RD) is the only workable system
of democracy today.
• Why do you suppose this is the case?
• RD is constitutional which means that the government is
limited and can wield its authority only in specific ways.
Characteristics of Representative
Democracies
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Popular Accountability of Government
Political Competition
Alternation in Power
Popular Representation
Majority Decision
Right of Dissent and Disobedience
Political Equality
Popular Consultation
Free Press
Totalitarianism
• Totalitarianism is a system in which one party holds total
power and attempts to restructure society in accordance with
party values.
• This political system began with Lenin gaining power of Russia
in 1917 and gained popularity with Mussolini in Italy (1922)
and Hitler in Germany (1933).
• Cuba and North Korea are the only two examples of pure
totalitarian states.
• How are these countries portrayed in the media? Why do you
suppose this is the case?
Characteristics of a Totalitarian
State
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All-Encompassing Ideology
Single Party
Organized Terror
Monopoly of Communications
Monopoly of Weapons
Controlled Economy
Authoritarianism
• Authoritarian regimes are governed by a small group that
minimizes popular input; it is usually a party, a dictator, or the
army.
• Many of the economic, social, religious, cultural, and familial
matters are left up to the individuals. The six characteristics of
totalitarianism are either diluted or absent in an authoritarian
regime.
Authoritarianism and Developing
Nations
• Many developing nations fell into systems of authoritarian rule
after WWII.
• Many political scientists argue this is because these societies
had preindustrial, traditional peasant economies.
Additionally, the levels of education and income were often
low which made it difficult to focus on building a government.
• Many leaders in these developing nations believed that
political and economic survival and growth need centralized
power.
Authoritarian States
• Examples
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Burkina Faso
China
Madagascar
Vietnam
Zimbabwe
Belarus
Spectrum Scale of Government
Power
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Perfect Democracy
Democracy
Limited Democracy
Authoritarianism
Totalitarianism
Perfect Totalitarianism
Vocabulary
• Democracy: Political System of mass participation,
competitive elections, and human and civil rights.
• Representative Democracy: One in which the people do not
rule directly but through elected and accountable
representatives.
• Totalitarian: Political system in which state attempts total
control of citizens.
• Authoritarian: Nondemocratic government but not
necessarily totalitarian.