CHP7: Authoritarian regimes and democratic breakdown Flashcards
How are authoritarian ideologies/behaviors categorized?
hierarchy
and closed/concetrated decision making process
authoritarian regimes were a norm at one point
What are some distinctions from past authoritarian regimes to now more modern ones?
- the extent to which the regime centers on an person
- extent to which regime expounds overarching ideology (like communism)
- extent to which regime violates/contrains human rights
What are the types of authoritarian regimes?
- totalitarian regime
- theocracies
- personalistic dictatorships
- Bureaucratic-authoritarian
- Hybrid regimes (semi-authoritarian)
What are some aspects of totalitarian authoritarianism?
- lots of manipulation
- no freedom of thought (it is unethical) (secret police)
- total control over life and economy
- denies rights (no free fair election)
- work camps mass incarceration
- one governing party led by dominant figure
Nazi germany, Soviet Union under Stalin, China under Mao
What are some aspects of theocracies?
- use religion/religious institutions as main mode of legitmation-(accepting leade/power)
- strict religious restrictions
premodern monarchies of western europe, Saudi Arabia and Iran today
What are some aspects of a personalistic dictatorship?
- little role of citizens in decision making
- not complete control over life
- PERSONALITY OF DICTATOR (SINGLE RULING PERSON IS HIGHLIGHTED)
- justification = some societies need a strong leader to maintain order because they are not fit for democracy yet
north korea and kim jong-un, Vladmir Putin in russia
What are some aspects of a bureaucratic-authoritarian regime?
- Control of state by a group (military) rather than a single leader
- leaders rise to power through bureaucratic careers
- organzied bureaucracy to run country
hegemonic - single party dominant regime
South Korea/Taiwan until 90s
Mexico with the PRI (2000) or South Africa with National party (apartheid era)
What are hybrid authoritarian regimes?
they are not completely authoritarian nor democractic
illiberal democracy, delegative democracies, electoral authoritarianism, competitive authoritarianism
What are the types of authoritarian transition?
- authoritarian persistence
- Democratic backsliding/breakdown
- transition to hybrid regimes
What are the two types of authoritarian persistence?
persistence of authoritarian regimes
- single authoritarian regime - major internal changes of the regime
- one authoritarian regime to another authoritarian regime
use strategies like regime maintenance (economic benefits for citizens or repression) to keep authoritarian regimes
Can democratic breakdown be abrupt?
yes they can be with ruler of democratic regime declaring state of emergency
OR
gradual/ in fits and starts (can start to have sus elections but also political participation)
Germany Weimar Republic –> Nazi Germany
Are democratic breakdowns straight forward?
no, they can reverse, or stop between authoritarianism and democracy
How do democratic regimes breakdown?
- electing authoritarian rulers (without knowing, and then it happens)
- organzied actors moving against regime (labor strikes, businesses withdrawing capital)
- in form of revolution
How can a hybrid regime come about
- partial democratic breakdown
or - semi authoritarian -> partial democratic
- (either way)
venezuela (democratic to hybrid) Russia (authoritarian to hybrid)
what are the 5 theories of authoritarian regime emergence
- *historical insitutionalism *- looking at certain points in time authoritarian institutions are formed/support of authoritarian rule is established, authoritarianism as a cause of history
- Poverty/Inequality - poorer people are less likely to succesfully press toward democratization (they need to survive first), economic inequality!
-
state weakness/failure - this leads to authoritarian politics, low economic development, unstable class coalition, predatory states
4.* Political culture* - beliefs,norms,values shape regime type, people in authoritarian societies will likely keep that - barriers to collective action
