Authoritarianism (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what authoritarianism and the authoritarian government regime are, their characteristics, examples and differences with totalitarianism.

official-portrait-francisco-franco authoritarianism spain — Authoritarian leaders often consider their will above the law.

What is authoritarianism?

Authoritarianism is the tendency to concentrate power and abuse authority by a leader or political group especially when he takes over the government and begins an authoritarian regime. This type of regime is characterized by the oppressive exercise of power and the limitation of political freedoms. Generally, it is considered a model opposed to multiparty democracy, which has free elections and freedom of the press.

It consists of an excess of authority that requires the full submission of citizens to the decisions of the executive branch therefore it nullifies or limits freedom of choice, action and opinion. The authoritarian leader or group often uses coercion and may even achieve power through violence (for example, through a coup d'état), although they may also come to power through free elections and acquire authoritarian characteristics once in office. can.

Authoritarian leaders and governments usually do not pay much attention to the laws or deliberative mechanisms characteristic of democratic and republican regimes. On the contrary, they impose their will from the executive branch, the bureaucracy and the military or police bodies, through the distribution of rewards to loyal and loyal sectors. the use or threat of force on opponents. In this sense, authoritarian governments usually take the form of dictatorships or formally democratic governments that impose great limitations on the party system and political freedoms.

Leadership in an authoritarian regime It can be exercised personally by a leader or in a more collective way by a political party or a military junta. (which are usually led by a political or military leader anyway). Furthermore, the authoritarian government usually has the support or loyalty of other social sectors, such as the military and security forces, certain businessmen who can benefit from its economic policies, disadvantaged social groups in a previous crisis situation, or religious and cultural institutions. who identify with the ideological message of the regime.

In authoritarian regimes, opposition and dissent are often silenced or threatened through political or union persecution, press censorship and the prohibition or restriction of the activity of political parties. Often, the authoritarian government denies the existence of these repressive mechanisms or justifies them with the argument that this protects national sovereignty and defends the national interest. In practice, this translates into difficulty in removing from power the authoritarian government, considered by its opponents to be incompatible with democracy and the rule of law.

You may be interested: Powers of the State

Key points

Authoritarianism is the tendency to concentrate power and abuse authority by a leader or political group.
In an authoritarian regime, the executive branch imposes itself on the other powers of the State and limits political freedoms through repression, persecution and censorship.
Authoritarian regimes can arise from coups d'état or from democratically elected governments that decide to restrict political rights.
Unlike totalitarianism, which seeks total control of society, the economy and culture, authoritarianism allows for some social diversity.
Some historical examples of authoritarianism are the government of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the Trujillo era in the Dominican Republic, the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile, and the Franco regime in Spain.

See also: Forms of government

Characteristics of authoritarianism

Rafael-Leónidas-Trujillo authoritarianism Dominican Republic — Authoritarian governments, like that of Rafael Trujillo, limit political freedoms.

The main characteristics of authoritarianism are:

It is a form of abuse or excess of authority that generally takes the form of an authoritarian regime, that is, a government based on the concentration of power and the limitation of political freedoms.
An authoritarian regime can achieve power through violence (for example, through a coup d'état) or through democratic mechanisms (for example, in free elections). Once in government, it establishes measures that limit political and civil liberties, such as the suspension or abusive control of electoral processes, the prohibition or surveillance of political parties, press censorship, and limitations imposed on legislative bodies. .
In an authoritarian regime, the authority of the executive branch is imposed above the laws and the other powers of the State (the legislative branch and the judicial branch). This attitude is often reinforced by persecution, threats, censorship, violence or certain selective sanctions.
Obedience and loyalty to the authoritarian leader or ruling elite are rewarded, to the detriment of democratic institutions and values of justice, freedom or plurality. On the other hand, any form of dissent that could threaten the established order is persecuted or punished.
In some cases, power is concentrated in a single figure, who is honored through an official propaganda system and given grandiose titles, such as caudillo or supreme leader.

Authoritarianism and totalitarianism

authoritarianism chile pinochet — Authoritarianism and totalitarianism are two forms of government based on political persecution.

Authoritarianism is not the same as totalitarianism, although the latter has authoritarian characteristics and both regimes can take the form of a dictatorship. These are concepts that They differ in the way they exercise political power, organize society, and mobilize and indoctrinate. to the followers.

Examples of authoritarianism

robert mugabe authoritarianism zimbabwe — Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until he was deposed in a coup d'état.

Some examples of authoritarian regimes in recent history are the following:

Robert Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe. In 1980, nationalist leader Robert Mugabe was appointed prime minister of the newly created Republic of Zimbabwe, having contributed to independence from British rule and the white minority-led government in what until then was called Rhodesia. Once in power, he promoted the transition from a parliamentary republic to a presidential regime and in 1987 he was named president. Since then, he ruled authoritarianly through restrictions on press freedom, repression and surveillance of political parties, and presidential continuity based on elections conditioned by political violence and sometimes considered fraudulent. Mugabe ruled until 2017, when he was overthrown in a coup d'état, just two years before his death.
The Trujillo era in the Dominican Republic. In 1930, General Rafael Leónidas Trujillo assumed the presidency of the Dominican Republic and began one of the dictatorships with the highest number of victims in the history of Latin America, with the execution of thousands of political opponents and the mass murder of between 9,000 and 25,000. Haitians who lived in Dominican territory. Trujillo served as president in two periods (1930-1938 and 1942-1952), but he was the authoritarian leader of the country continuously until 1961, as he managed to have some relatives and docile officials alternate in the presidency. He had himself named “generalissimo” and “benefactor of the people”, but he was assassinated in 1961.
The dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. In 1973, a coup d'état overthrew the socialist government of Salvador Allende in Chile and inaugurated an authoritarian regime that lasted until 1990. The supreme authority of this dictatorship was Major General Augusto Pinochet, who presided over the military government junta until 1981 and He held the presidency of the country until 1990. During his term there were around thirty thousand cases of imprisonment and torture for political reasons, more than 2,000 people were executed and around 1,200 disappeared.
The Franco regime in Spain. In 1936, a military uprising against the government of the Second Republic in Spain began the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), in which the rebellious side, led by General Francisco Franco, won. Thus began a long period known as the Franco regime or Franco dictatorship, in which General Franco, named “generalissimo,” authoritatively governed Spain as leader and caudillo until his death in 1975.
The Republic of Cuba. In 1952, former Cuban president Fulgencio Batista staged a coup d'état and established an authoritarian regime that lasted until the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The revolution founded a new regime, aligned since 1961 with Soviet communism and headed by Fidel Castro. Since then, the Cuban government was characterized by one-partyism, political persecution and control of the press. It was sometimes characterized as a totalitarian regime (especially until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991) or authoritarian (especially since the 1990s or after Fidel Castro's resignation from the presidency in 2008).

References

Bobbio, N., Matteucci, N. and Pasquino, G. (Dirs.). (2015). Politics Dictionary. 21st century.
Frantz, E. (2018). Authoritarianism: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press.
Lindstaedt, N. (2024). Authoritarianism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
Linz, J.J. (2017). The authoritarian regime. In H. Sánchez de la Barquera y Arroyo (Ed.), Anthologies for the study and teaching of political science (Vol. II, pp. 83-89). National Autonomous University of Mexico, Legal Research Institute.