Authoritarianism - What is it?

[JustARandomPanda]

Ok...so I'm beginning to question what exactly Authoritarianism is. I had always thought Totalitarianism was Authoritarianism on steroids. However, I recently found a reference on the web which maintains it is its own rather distinct brand of political makeup.


So here is a link to the reference I found. Global Issues in Context - Authoritarianism.


One surprising thing from the paper I found - although in retrospect it does make sense - is that Authoritarianism usually has quite broad populist support - contrary to what one would normally think.


And now the reference (it's short).

Authoritarianism is one of the three main types of political systems (or regimes), democracy and totalitarianism being the other two. Social science scholars have identified a number of features of authoritarianism in its ideal type form. The ideal criteria may not be present in practice in actually existing authoritarian systems. Rather, descriptions of the ideal type provide a measuring stick for analysts to assess how authoritarian a particular system is. Scholars also increasingly recognize a hybrid between authoritarianism and democracy as forming its own ideal type regime, generally called either semi-authoritarian or semi-democratic systems (Ottaway 2003).

DEFINING FEATURES OF AUTHORITARIANISM

Defining features of authoritarianism include the existence of a single leader or small group of leaders with ultimate political authority. Believing in the supremacy of the authority of the state over all organizations in society, authoritarian leaders make all important government policy decisions. The state’s needs are paramount; individualism is encouraged only to the extent that it benefits the state. Ideal type authoritarianism lacks both official and unofficial limitations on its power, although Mark Hagopian (1984, p. 118) has argued that, in practice, powerful social groups can maintain unofficial, “extralegal” constraints over authoritarian leaders.
Whereas totalitarianism strongly emphasizes an official and overarching ideology serving as a blueprint for the remaking of society, authoritarianism is less concerned with ideology. When authoritarian leaders come to power, they often have a set of policy goals—such as eliminating corruption or resurrecting the economy—as well as what Juan Linz (1975) calls a “mentality” about the purpose of their rule. But this is quite different from the kind of ideology present in an ideal type totalitarian system.

Authoritarian systems commonly emerge in times of political, economic, and social instability, and thus, especially during the initial period of authoritarian rule, authoritarian systems may have broad public support. The stereotype of an authoritarian leader as uniformly despised by the general population is rarely accurate. In the majority of authoritarian systems, however, these public (and publicly supported) goals take a back seat to the maintenance of the regime’s power if the latter is threatened. Over time, if the government fails to achieve its policy goals, the public may withdraw its support.

Because of the government’s control of the state’s repressive mechanisms, declining support need not translate into popular unrest and antigovernment mobilization. Indeed, another of authoritarianism’s defining features is the limiting of mass political participation. Democratic and totalitarian systems encourage the general public’s political participation, although in the totalitarian case the state or ruling party controls all aspects of mass political mobilization. Authoritarian leaders typically prefer a population that is apathetic about politics, with no desire to participate in the political process. Authoritarian governments work to develop such attitudes, both by fostering a sense of a deep divide between society and government and by repressing expressions of dissent, violently if necessary. Consequently, authoritarian leaders view the rights of the individual, including those considered to be “human rights” by the international community, as subject to the needs of the government. Concern about the possible emergence of potential political opposition can become an obsession of authoritarian leaders, weakening their effectiveness as leaders and the policy performance of the government.

TYPES OF AUTHORITARIANISM

 

 

Just as social scientists identify various types of democratic systems, scholars highlight three types of authoritarianism. A military authoritarian system is one in which the military is not only privileged—as it typically is in all authoritarian systems—but actually in control of all major aspects of government decision-making. The rule of Augusto Pinochet in Chile from 1973 to 1988 is the classic example of a military authoritarian regime.
In party authoritarian systems, on the other hand, a single political party dominates the system. Though this is also true of totalitarian systems (e.g., Stalin’s USSR or Hitler’s Germany), party authoritarian systems penetrate into society less than totalitarian systems. Party authoritarian systems may even tolerate small opposition parties and use mechanisms of democracy like elections in an effort to increase their legitimacy with the public. Mexico’s authoritarian system prior to the reforms of the 1990s and 2000s is an example of a party authoritarian system.

Bureaucratic authoritarian systems are run by the military but rely heavily on experts in the fields of economics and other policy areas, often allowing them significant autonomy to set and oversee government policy. Social scientists often label these officials technocrats. Military leaders point to the technical expertise of these bureaucrats as a key component of their economic modernization policies, which are introduced under harsh authoritarian conditions to prevent opposition to economic reforms. Guillermo O’Donnell identifies Argentina from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s as the classic example of bureaucratic authoritarianism

[voidisyinyang]

The WikiLeaks release of 1.7 million US intelligence documents from the 1970s may seriously hinder US foreign policy power-broker Henry Kissinger, operating behind the scenes in recent years, UK-based investigative reporter Tony Gosling told RT.

Most of the data, comprising records from the beginning of 1973 to the end of 1976, has been compiled by the site's founder, Julian Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since last June.

Many of those reports were written by or sent to Henry Kissinger, who was US secretary of state and national security adviser during the period.

Gosling says that, despite not being part of the US government since 1977, Kissinger has been influencing the international landscape through unofficial channels all these years.

 

RT: Is there any indication yet of who gave these documents to WikiLeaks?

 

Tony Gosling: Well, those documents were, actually, available in the archive. Its just almost impossible for the general public to search for them. Its quite clear that Julian Assange isnt being idle in his incarceration, in his dungeon in London. What hes and his colleagues have done is turned it into a really useful, searchable database, a massive one. Three hundred and eighty gigabytes of data, 1.7 million records this new PlusD release from WikiLeaks. And its extremely useful. I mean I had a brief look this morning right after the release and you can find quite a lot of stuff in there, which is going into the detail of the US foreign policy during the [Henry] Kissinger years.

Were talking about 1969, for example, the bombing of Cambodia; this is secret policies, which were going on from the White House in the 1970s; the South American Operation Condor; death squads running around in South America, killing thousands and disappearing thousands of people; 1973, [salvador] Allendes Chile, where Henry Kissinger ordered the assassination of the president of Chile because he wasnt going in the [desired] political direction and installed General Pinochet; 1974, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. There are little bits of details on all of these, in which Kissinger was involved. I mean Kissinger basically gave a green light to Turkey to invade Cyprus. So once there was an official foreign policy going on, which was quite, you know, nice from the US, going alone with human rights there was unofficial police going on, with Henry Kissinger in the White House, with all those kinds of human right abuses and war crimes going on.

 

RT: What kind of reaction can we expect from Washington, and how badly could this harm the US interests?

 

TG: I hope it harms even more because one of the staggering thing is Kissinger even though hes not actually officially in any position in the US government anymore he runs this little company called the Kissinger Associates, he manages these Bilderberg conferences every year where all the rich and powerful from the West get together in secret and hes been running a secret organization, a privatization in many ways, a private arm of the US foreign policy. For example, in 2003 he was an unofficial adviser to Dick Cheney, who was the US vice-president, over the policy in Iraq.

You could call him Mr. Death Squad. And this goes into details in the 1970s of how he started. Obviously, he couldnt carry on and the US couldnt carry on doing this kind of thing overtly in public, with their senior officials getting up to all that stuff. So what happened is that the whole thing has been privatized and gone underground.

 

http://rt.com/op-edge/wikileaks-assange-kissinger-gosling-514/

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ca1HsC6MH0

 

James Steele, death squad trainer, supervisor of massacres, embodies authoritarianism.

[ralis]

The effect has been well stated in many documents. But what about the cause? Abusive child rearing? Religious training? Patriarchal authoritarian families? Trauma? All and more creates rigid character armoring which is what Dr. Wilhelm Reich et al studied extensively. Alice Miller wrote about her therapy practice in 'The Drama of the Gifted Child'. She extensively writes in regards to parental child abuse and the effects of.

 

Child abuse can be mental, emotional and physical. Such abuse can and will form the rigid authoritarian personality. I will try to post some references.

 

1. Unable to fully express deep feeling and emotion.

2. Rigid body armoring, particularly in the pelvic area.

3. Unable to breath deeply into the abdomen/pelvic area.

4. Posture. Best example is Dick Cheney with his head and neck deeply contracted into his chest.

5. Fear and loathing.

6. Need to inappropriately control others. In particular the sex lives of others.

7. Family values which are male dominated authoritarian.

8. Oedipus complex.

 

 

More later.

Edited April 10, 2013 by ralis

[chi 2012]

^

You just described the ESTJ personality type. And to a lesser extent the ENTJ. Must be genetic.

[Vmarco]

Ok...so I'm beginning to question what exactly Authoritarianism is. I had always thought Totalitarianism was Authoritarianism on steroids. However, I recently found a reference on the web which maintains it is its own rather distinct brand of political makeup.

 

 

If, as the links quote, Political Authoritarianism = The state’s needs are paramount; individualism is encouraged only to the extent that it benefits the state,...could the Dalai Lama be considered an Authoritarian?

 

Is Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck an example of a great authoritarian leader?

 

Like most perhaps, I suppose I held a negative viewpoint of authoritarian,...both political and cultural.

 

The Patriarch of the Bible has been called an authoritarian, murderous, pro-slavery, vacillant, petty, racist, conditional God. And amazingly, a God who is so insecure, that it demands to be worshiped, obeyed and prayed to.

 

Many "father's" of households like to emulate the authoritarianism of their imagined creator.

 

Did not Voltaire once say, that if cockroaches had a god, he'd be a big, authoritarian cockroach?

 

If authoritarianism is defined as "complete obedience to authority, as opposed to individuality"...then I'm in favor of authoritarianism, as long as authoritarism is based on truth.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

Authoritarianism as defined by me:

Authority [figure(s)] as truth.





Was that so hard?

[Samurai Mountain man]

Authoritarianism is the unwarranted use of authority derived from usurpation of consent and approval through whatever means available to the powerholder(s).

[JustARandomPanda]

Does this count as Authoritarianism?

 

 

From the Daily Telegraph (UK paper)

 

 

Helmut Kohl: I Acted Like a Dictator to Bring in the Euro

 

 

 

some quotes from Herr Kohl

 

 

Mr Kohl justified overcoming the German public's reluctance to relinquish the Deutsche Mark by saying that democratic politics had to be based on convictions rather than the ebb and flow of elections.

 

 

He stated in the interview that he thought Wolfgang Schaeuble – who is now Germany's finance minister but was his anointed successor at the time – lacked the political authority to handle the change.

 

"Schaeuble is a highly gifted man, there's no disputing that, but this was not a matter for a newcomer. It had to be someone with total authority."

Edited April 10, 2013 by SereneBlue

[voidisyinyang]

You should check out the occult origins of the E.U.

 

Synarchy: The Hidden Hand Behind the European Union

March 15, 2012 By davidjones

http://www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/synarchy-the-hidden-hand-behind-the-european-union

 

 

every major step in the development of the European Union from a simple trading body to a borderline superstate can be traced back to a very specific ideology, which upholds rule by an elite from behind the scenes. But this isn’t just about politics. Astonishingly, this ideology is also about mysticism and magic.

This shadowy politico-occult movement is synarchy, which was developed by the Frenchman Joseph Alexandre Saint-Yves, the Marquis d’Alveydre, in opposition to the rise of anarchy in the second half of the nineteenth century. To him the ideal synarchist state would be a rigid social hierarchy topped by an elite that is predestined to rule – absolutely at odds with the then emerging concepts of democracy, individual liberty and social mobility.

Central to Saint-Yves was the creation of a united Europe, a call for which appears on the first page of his first book on synarchy, Keys to the East (1877). He believed that his perfectly balanced society reflected deep cosmic laws, with which his elite perfectly resonated. They are also directly guided by the powers that rule the universe – as he believed himself to be.

Saint-Yves claimed that in the ancient past an advanced civilisation – based, of course, on synarchic principles – had governed the whole world.

 

[ralis]

From the classic 'Dr. Strangelove'. General Jack D. Ripper portrays real life cold war warrior General Curtis LeMay. Classic authoritarian rigid character armoring.

 

 

 

There are no innocent civilians. It is their government and you are fighting a people, you are not trying to fight an armed force anymore. So it doesn't bother me so much to be killing the so-called innocent bystanders. General Curtis LeMay

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2013 by ralis

[ralis]

http://www.consistent-parenting-advice.com/authoritarian-parenting-style.html

 

 

 

An authoritarian parenting style tends to equate obedience with love, requiring strict adherence to structures and rules as a way of showing that love.Often this type of parenting style is associated with more rigid forms of religious belief, where strict parenting regimes can be supported by scriptural references such as, "Spare the rod and spoil the child".

 

 

 

 

 

• The parent is highly demanding, but not responsive
• Attempts to control to an absolute standard.
• Values obedience and does not encourage give and take.
• Emphasises strict family rules and is often referred to as military style parenting
• Authoritarian parents attempt to exert complete and total control over their families.
• They can be restrictive and rigid, demanding absolute obedience, often in a 'do as I say not as I do' style of parenting. Punishment is often harsh and punitive, and can become abusive, both physically and emotionally.
• Authoritarian parents tend to be high in psychological control of their children which has a detrimental effect to the child's natural growth and maturation.

Authoritarian parents expect their children to accept their judgments, values, and opinions without questioning. In contrast to this, authoritative parents tend to operate from give and take with their children and make good use of explanations, drawing their children into open discussions.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

I'm goin' off the rails on a crazy train.

[Birch]

Hi mom!

[voidisyinyang]

From the classic 'Dr. Strangelove'. General Jack D. Ripper portrays real life cold war warrior General Curtis LeMay. Classic authoritarian rigid character armoring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow I was just trying to remember that connection because I'm reading JFK and the Unspeakable -- Le May almost destroyed the planet during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

[Vmarco]

I'm often gay,...and love to tramp,...I'm neither a homosexual nor a prostitute. If SereneBlue's post that suggests Authoritarianism = The state’s needs are paramount; individualism is encouraged only to the extent that it benefits the state,...then authoritarianism can be a very good thing,...like Commander Adama from Battlestar Galactica.

 

Many people crave authoritarianism,...like Christians and Muslims. Today however, more and more are worshipping their own imagined individuality.

 

The main problem of humanity as I see it,...is the lack of truth. An authoritarian without truth, cannot serve the needs of humanity. Yet,....even if truth was realized by an authoritarian today,...it would be rejected in favor of the neurotic individual.

 

Individuality doesn't want truth,...they want to express their individual neurosis,..at the expense of the Whole. In America, Tea Party fanatics are an extreme example of screw the whole. Thus,...while a Tea Party patriot could be called many things, I would be hesitant to ever used the term authoritarian.

[ralis]

Authoritarianism from the right wing party. In particular making laws to restrict reproductive rights, abortion and so forth. The right wing ideology states the need for freedom, liberty and less government intrusion etc. while at the same time using government to enforce laws that fit their rigid ideological view. The link provided has a slide show which furthers my point.

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/12/republicans-sex_n_3055060.html

[JustARandomPanda]

http://www.consistent-parenting-advice.com/authoritarian-parenting-style.html

 

 

Don't agree this is really relevant to the topic. This is a psych profile of individuals. It's not discussing the system of a particular government.

 

One could in principle support authoritarianist style governing without being one. Indeed the first article I linked to makes that point quite clear. Authoritarian governments are typically very popular. But I'd be suspicious if anyone then insinuated that the people whom supported their authoritarian government must themselves be authoritarians.

 

Vmarco even makes some arguments in favor of authoritarian government but does so on philosophical grounds - not because he himself is some kind of authoritarian (you'd have to have a pretty big ego imo to be one and I gather Vmarco claims his ego died decades ago).

[ralis]

 

 

Don't agree this is really relevant to the topic. This is a psych profile of individuals. It's not discussing the system of a particular government.

 

One could in principle support authoritarianist style governing without being one. Indeed the first article I linked to makes that point quite clear. Authoritarian governments are typically very popular. But I'd be suspicious if anyone then insinuated that the people whom supported their authoritarian government must themselves be authoritarians.

 

Vmarco even makes some arguments in favor of authoritarian government but does so on philosophical grounds - not because he himself is some kind of authoritarian (you'd have to have a pretty big ego imo to be one and I gather Vmarco claims his ego died decades ago).

 

The OP is a broad topic as to what it is and I am referring to the roots which starts in childhood which there is much evidence. One just doesn't decide one day to be an authoritarian but is a process of development from an early age. I would suggest reading Dr. Wilhelm Reich's works that back up my premise.

Edited April 13, 2013 by ralis

[JustARandomPanda]

The OP is a broad topic as to what it is and I am referring to the roots which starts in childhood which there is much evidence. One just doesn't decide one day to be an authoritarian but is a process of development from an early age. I would suggest reading Dr. Wilhelm Reich's works that back up my premise.

 

I suppose I did make the heading rather broad-ranged although I was thinking more specifically at the time of government structures, not personality structures per se. Interestingly Reich's work is indeed one of the things I've got on my list of "books to read" for 2013.

[Birch]

Here's another for the list SB:-) http://www.wisebrain.org/Polyvagal_Theory.pdf

[lloydbaker]

It seems to me that totalitarianism is the worst variety of authoritarianism. An authoritarian elite by definition has and exercises the power to control a society or, at least, its main features. The type of societal system imposed could vary from a limited democracy featuring individual rights to a totalitarianism like Communism or Fascism. You are right. A major crisis, real or imagined, is what leads a society to cede power to an authoritarian elite as the least bad alternative.

[voidisyinyang]

 

Cynthia McKinney takes on authoritarianism.