Authoritarianism

Rule by Laws (Not Rule of Law)

Authoritarianism is a political system that opposes political plurality, the peaceful coexistence of different political parties, for a strong centralized government. Strong state forces such as police or military are used to support and maintain the power structure of the placed authoritarian government, oftentimes with suppression of civil liberties and extreme enforcement of the rule of law. These regimes can be autocratic or oligarchic, with the main central power controlled by the nation’s single political party or military. Despite seeming unfavorable in its textbook form, authoritarianism is prevalent in many democracies across the world in some form, and it can be critical to the standing of the said nation against internal chaos.

Authoritarianism is often seen as a negative form of government, which is indeed true in its most extreme form. However, one could argue that all forms of government are negative at their core when faced with the most extreme versions of them. An excellent example of this is the most absolute form of democracy, which is at its core tyranny of the majority. The true value of democracy is seen when it is also controlled to a specific degree, allowing only its greatest strengths to be utilized in government. In a similar situation, authoritarianism is critical in health dosages to maintain democratic values and liberties on a grand scale.

Key Concepts:

Strong centralized and concentrated power: Limited to no checks and balances apply to the ruling party or group.

Usually upheld by political repression and armed forces such as police and military: Used primarily to prevent or detain any opposition.

Large lack of civil liberties in favor of social stability: speech, press, assembly, and religion are all subject to be controlled by the central power.

Rule by law in place of the rule of law: The Law’s main focus and objective is to maintain the status quo and the current regime’s power in opposition to serving actual justice.

A form of high-end or deep-reaching surveillance, reducing privacy: Deep state actions such as secret police and mass surveillance to weed out any possible disloyal civilians in the population.

Although authoritarianism can be seen, and often rightly so in its extreme iterations, as an oppressive form of government, it serves as a healthy glue that holds society together as long as it is used in small, controllable amounts. The United States, for example, prides itself on being a fair and just society but also uses many core authoritarian ideologies in its government formation.