Authoritarianism

1. Single individual or small elite rules without constitutional checks on power • no independent courts of law or effective free and fair elections; no accountability • Primary form of government through most of recorded history • Early based on “divine right of kings”; authority derived from hereditary bloodline • Modern increasingly claims to represent will of the people Authoritarianism

2. 1974-2000, number of authoritarian regimes fell dramatically • Every Arab country in Middle East is authoritarian • Many African states authoritarian • China (world’s most populous country) has authoritarian government • Many “democratizing” countries returned to authoritarianism (e.g., Russia) • Types = Monarchy, Military, Single-Party, Electoral Authoritarian (most common form) Persistent Authoritarianism

3. Political authority bestowed based on hereditary connection to royal bloodline (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Jordan) • Seek legitimacy through: • Long-standing tradition • Effective rulers who promote well-being of subjects (“good king/queen”) • Repression through security forces Monarchies

4. Political authority held by group of military officers who influence policy by using, threatening to use military force (e.g., 1960-1970s, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Chile, etc.) • Seek legitimacy through: • Promise return to democratic rule • Hold elections with military party competing • Defend nation from domestic or foreign threats • Martial law • Policies to benefit particular groups in society Military Regimes

5. Political authority held by one party, which controls access to political office and policy-making • Three main types: • Communist (e.g., China, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba) • Seek legitimacy through Marxist ideology, nationalism, internal and external threats (maintain power through force against opponents, state ownership of economy, state-sponsored organizations for workers, youth, & women, policies to benefit key social groups) • Fascist (e.g., 1930s Germany and Italy) • Centralization and command of individual leader; charismatic leader represents will of people; ultranationalism (“organic nation”); minorities not tolerated; use of violence and restrictions on civil and political rights • Nationalist (e.g., many post-colonial African countries) Single-Party Regimes

6. Hold regularly scheduled elections, allow for multiple parties to compete; elections strongly tilted in favor of ruling party (e.g., Russia, Malaysia, Egypt) • Seek legitimacy through: • Regularly scheduled multiparty elections • Raising living standards • Market-oriented economic reforms • Coercion to control groups Electoral Authoritarian Regimes

7. Mixed record with homicide, infant mortality, and adult literacy rates • Polity IV ranks democracy on a -10 (authoritarian) to +10 (democratic) scale • Monarchies = lowest democracy ratings overall (-10) • Military regimes = on average (-4) • Communist single-party regimes = (-7) • Electoral authoritarian regimes = range (-3 to +5) Evaluating Authoritarianism

8. Types of feasible authoritarian regimes have been narrowed • Democracy only widely accepted way of gaining political legitimacy, even in authoritarian regimes • Electoral authoritarianism is the most prevalent type Conclusions