Authoritarianism
Along with totalitarianism and democracy, authoritarianism is one of the main types of political regimes or systems. Though different variants exist, all authoritarian systems share certain basic features that have significant implications for science, technology, and ethics. For instance, the easy flow of information that facilitates science and is promoted by communications technology creates both opportunities for and burdens on authoritarian leaders seeking to maintain their control over the political realm.
Prominent scholars of authoritarianism include Juan J. Linz and Guillermo A. O'Donnell. Linz (2000) highlights the differences between authoritarianism and totalitarianism, while also pointing out the possibility for authoritarianism to combine with the other two types of government in a hybrid form of political regime. O'Donnell (1973) emphasizes the importance of a bureaucratic form of authoritarianism, distinct from cases of traditional military regimes or authoritarian systems managed by a dominant political party,
TABLE 1
Comparison of Democracy, Authoritarianism, and Totalitarianism| Democracy | Authoritarianism | Totalitarianism |
| SOURCE: Courtesy of Carl Mitcham and Lowell W. Barrington. |
| Political mobilization promoted | Political mobilization generally discouraged | Political mobilization promoted |
| Competing pro-democratic ideologies | No state ideology | State ideology |
| Legitimacy based on ideology, rule of law, and performance | Legitimacy based on performance | Legitimacy based on ideology and performance |
| Official and unofficial limits on government | No official limits on government | No official or unofficial limits on government |
while highlighting differences among authoritarian systems based on the degree of modernization in particular countries.
This page contains 201 words.
Authoritarianism article
Read the rest of this article.
This article contains 1,779 words
(approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page).
Order our Authoritarianism Article
