Lecture 12: Authoritarian regimes Flashcards
What is autocracy?
A political system where power is concentrated in the hands of a few, with limited or no competition for leadership and little accountability to citizens.
(Gerschewski, 2013)
What are the three waves of authoritarianism research?
1) The totalitarianism paradigm (mid-1960s, Arendt),
2) Socio-economic and regional diversity approach (1960s–1980s, Linz, O’Donnell),
3) Institutionalism (1999–2000s, Geddes, Gandhi, Przeworski, Acemoglu & Robinson, Bueno de Mesquita).
(Gerschewski, 2013; Loxton, 2024)
What are the main types of authoritarian regimes?
Who rules? → Monarchies, military regimes, party regimes, personalist regimes, hybrid regimes.
How stable is rule? → Closed autocracies, hegemonic autocracies, competitive autocracies.
(Hadenius & Teorell)
What are the three pillars of authoritarian stability?
1) Legitimation (performance legitimacy, ideology, nationalism).
2) Repression (coercion, surveillance, media control).
3) Co-optation (paying off elites, economic patronage, weak opposition).
(Gerschewski, 2013)
How do autocrats maintain elite loyalty?
They pay them off, create economic dependence, and use surveillance and targeted oppression. Those outside the elite are kept weak, discouraged, or suppressed.
(Gerschewski, 2013)
How do autocrats maintain citizen loyalty?
1) Generate genuine support (patronage, social programs, ideological control).
2) Fabricate support (rigged elections, controlled media).
3) Use targeted oppression (jailing dissidents, police brutality).
(Gerschewski, 2013)
How do autocrats control institutions?
They capture the media, centralize executive power, undermine checks and balances, rig elections, control the judiciary, and manipulate security forces to ensure loyalty.
(Gerschewski, 2013; Levitsky & Way, 2010)
How do autocrats control the economy?
They capture key industries, control natural resources, limit economic independence of elites, and ensure citizen dependence on the state. Some use authoritarian capitalism, while others use economic repression.
(Gerschewski, 2013)
How do autocratic regimes break down?
1) Citizen protests & uprisings.
2) Opposition mobilization.
3) Elite defections and internal splits.
(Geddes, Wright & Frantz, 2014)
What causes authoritarian breakdowns?
Loss of key support sources:
1) Economic crisis (reduced elite pay-offs).
2) Cleaner elections exposing manipulation.
3) Security forces refusing to repress protests (e.g., Egyptian army during Tahrir Square).
(Geddes, Wright & Frantz, 2014)
Does authoritarian breakdown always lead to democracy?
No. It can result in a new autocratic regime, continuation of the old regime under a new leader, civil war, or a transition to democracy.
(Geddes, Wright & Frantz, 2014)
What is authoritarian diffusion?
The spread of autocratic practices and strategies between regimes, often through alliances, economic ties, and imitation.
(Way, 2016; Nathan, 2015)
What is autocracy promotion?
Efforts by authoritarian regimes to strengthen autocracy globally, prevent democratization, and reshape international norms.
(Way, 2016; Nathan, 2015)
What are the six ways authoritarian regimes promote autocracy?
1) Serving as a model for others.
2) Using soft power (propaganda, funding).
3) Learning from each other (diffusion of tactics).
4) Undermining democratic movements abroad.
5) Supporting autocratic allies (military, economic aid).
6) Reshaping international institutions to be ‘regime-neutral.’
(Way, 2016; Nathan, 2015)
Examples of autocracy promotion?
China exports surveillance tech and funds authoritarian allies. Russia supports illiberal leaders (Hungary, Belarus) and spreads disinformation. Gulf states fund anti-democratic movements.
(Way, 2016; Nathan, 2015)
According to Hadenius & Teorell, how can leaders obtain power in autocracies?
1) Hereditary succession (lineage) 2) Military force (actual or threatened) 3) Popular election (various forms)
What are the three broad types of autocracy identified by Hadenius & Teorell?
1) Monarchies 2) Military regimes 3) Electoral regimes
What are the three types of electoral autocracies?
1) No-party regime 2) One-party regime 3) Limited multiparty regime
What are the two subtypes of limited multiparty regimes?
1) Dominant-party regimes (hegemonic authoritarianism) 2) Competitive party regimes (competitive authoritarianism)
What is a monarchy in the context of autocratic regime types?
A regime where power is passed through hereditary succession (lineage). Example: Saudi Arabia.
What is a military regime?
A regime where power is taken and maintained through military force (actual or threatened). Example: Myanmar.
What is a no-party regime?
A system where elections occur but no political parties exist. Example: Some Gulf monarchies.
What is a one-party regime?
A system where only one political party is allowed to hold power. Example: China (CCP rule).
What is a dominant-party regime (hegemonic authoritarianism)?
A system where multiple parties exist, but one party dominates elections unfairly. Example: Russia under Putin.
What is a competitive party regime (competitive authoritarianism)?
A system where elections allow opposition, but the ruling party uses unfair means to stay in power. Example: Hungary under Orbán.
