What is Authoritarianism and Why Does it Matter?

3 min readSep 29, 2020

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Definitions

📖 The enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom. ⁠- Oxford Dictionary⁠
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📖 A form of government with strong central power and limited political freedoms. — Professor Furio Cerutti⁠
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📖 A strong central government that allows people a limited degree of political freedom. However, the political process, as well as all individual freedom, is controlled by the government without any constitutional accountability. -Thought Co.⁠
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Characteristics of Authoritarianism

❗️Limited political diversity.⁠
❗️Support by the public is often gained by lies, fear and a promise of economic prosperity.⁠
❗️Suppression of anti-regime/government activities and minimal engaging of public in political decisions.⁠
❗️Vaguely defined political power that can quickly change over time.⁠
❗️Electoral manipulation, including fraud, interference, and control of the media.⁠
❗️Violence, especially against political opposition. ⁠
❗️Manipulation of information as a form of control. ⁠
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Authoritarianism and Climate Change

Authoritarianism⁠ is responsible for the collapse of the small number of measures that were implemented to help handle the crisis.⁠
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Examples⁠
🌍 Brazil and deforestation of the Amazon.⁠
🌍 USA and the repeal of regulations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.⁠
🌍 Growing relationship between ultraconservative leaders and denial of climate change.⁠⁠

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Authoritarianism and Social Justice

There is a pattern of growing inequality under right wing authoritarian rule. The more right leaning and less democratic, the inequality in society.

❓ Do you see any of of these characteristics in your current government?⁠

Resources

Conceptualizing Politics: An Introduction to Political Philosophy — Furio Cerutti
Democracy, authoritarianism and the climate emergency — Open Democracy
Inequality under Authoritarian Rule — Terence K. Teo
Modernism and Totalitarianism: Rethinking the Intellectual Sources of Nazism and Stalinism, 1945 to the Present — Richard Shorten
Open Education Sociology Dictionary
Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, and Fascism — Robert Longley