Laura Pates
20.10.09
Authoritarianism
There are many definitions of Authoritarianism, all revolving around the idea of individual power and unquestioning obedience. As Webster states, “[it is] favorable to blind submission to authority.” It is a form of government that is typically controlled by unelected officials, though it may not always be apparent to the public that such deceit is at hand.
As written by Theodore M. Vestal, Authoritarianism can be described by the following principles (among many others):
1) Rule of men, not rule of law.
2) Rigged elections.
3) All important political decisions made by unelected officials behind closed doors.
4) A bureaucracy operated independently of rules, the supervision of elected officials, or concerns of the constituencies they purportedly serve;
5) The informal and unregulated exercise of political power.
One major downfall to an Authoritarian government is that it often leads to the weakening of civil society. Politically, there is no room for competition or free range of groups/organizations. In many cases, the authority figure imposes control on virtually every aspect of society. Also, the habit of responding to challenges through tighter control as opposed to adaptation is a significant source of weakness. This government also tends to submerge individual rights and goals, to group goals and conformities. Authoritarian governments are also generally prone to corruption. Criticism or accusations of such corruption are either useless as the authorities will retain their positions, or dangerous because those officials may retaliate for such ‘disobedience’. A modern example of such behavior is the Peoples Republic of China. Dictatorships and monarchies are often related to Authoritarian governments, but the particular similarities can vary greatly with each case.
In respect to Fascism, Authoritarianism actually differs in many ways. A fascist government tends to use violence and forcible oppression towards any opposing forces or dissidence. Though this can be the case with authoritarian governments, it is quite often not a practiced method. Fascism is also said to be very anti-democratic, and Authoritarianism is often compared to an illiberal democratic form of government. Most would not say it is equivalent to a democratic society, though one must acknowledge the existing parallels. Some seemingly positive aspects that Fascism encompasses which Authoritarianism does not are the emphasis on good humanity and society and the need of a charismatic leader. An Authoritarian leader often holds no concern to how society views them, or have a concern for the state of happiness of their communities. Power and control are of the utmost importance.
(1) It's submission to authority - sometimes blind, but not necessarily blind. I may think that authority is divine or so much more competent that it is best for me just to follow, like the child may follow parents.
ReplyDelete(2) There may be rule of law (or the claim of it) in an authoritarian regime - but the interpretation of the law may be in the hands of an undisputed or unaccountable political power.
(3) Your 5 points apply. But the core of the conception may be best expressed in the simple on under (1): the demand and readiness of submission to (political) authority - whatever this authority may be.
(4) Valid also the consequences you state. When authoritarian power gets absolute, it becomes totalitarian.
(5)Interesting in the end: Can a democracy be authoritarian? Or an authoriarian rule be democratic?
--- To what degree?
(6) Differences between authoritarian and fascist rule:
the first
is not totalitarian (there will be some independence of groups and some pluralism etc.);
it is not utopian / millennarian usually;
it has no or not so much organized mass support, i. e. it may not be so completely populist;
it usually serves the elites.