Questions tagged [authoritarianism]
The authoritarianism tag has no usage guidance.
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To what degree does popular support matter for an authoritarian regime?
There’s been lots of ink spilled on the topic of whether Russian citizens “really” support Putin, whether Chinese support for the Communist party is waning, whether the people of Belarus want to oust ...
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Electoral democracies in the OECD/EEA
What would be the terminology for a state that has democracy but is also totalitarian?
Can anyone give me an exhaustive list of current OECD/EEA countries behaving like electoral democracies/hybrid ...
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Must authoritarian leaders reduce their population to emaciated slaves struggling for survival?
Authoritarian leaders are not generally known for their meekness. Most, if not all will generally deprive their population of various civic liberties, attempt to stomp any opposition by any means ...
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Is there objective data on whether, in general, that more authoritarian countries have more ambiguous laws on the books?
It is said by some Western sources that China has exceedingly vague laws on the book, which allow the executive branch to make up violations against the political undesirables du jour. (This is even ...
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Why do authoritarian regimes bother keeping opposition leaders alive in prison?
Some examples of politicians who spent a long time behind bars before coming to power include Vladimir Lenin, Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi. It therefore seems like a risky move for ...
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Is the "One Country, Two Systems" approach a viable option for Taiwan? [closed]
Why would Taiwan avoid this arrangement? Obviously, Taiwan would like to preserve its democracy, but at some point Taipei will have to reckon with the economic realities of the region and relative ...
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In general, is the ineffectivness to provide basic standards of living of authoritarian states more attributable to malice or incompetence? [closed]
I think it's fair to say that with the possible exception of the richer parts of China, life under authoritarian regimes tends to be pretty terrible.
Sometimes that is by design, like in North Korea ...
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Is democracy inherently anti-authoritarian?
I read a question asking if communism was inherently authoritarian as it is often portrayed. President Nixon often talked about countries being either communist or free. Is democracy always the ...
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How do authoritarian leaders emerge under a multi-party parliamentarian system?
I'm curious if there had been an authoritarian leader who rose to power from within a multi-party parliamentarian system?
To clarify the terminology:
Multi-Party System: A political system where it ...
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Why do populists and dictators sometimes lie so ridiculously that it's obvious it's untrue?
Why do populists and dictators sometimes lie so ridiculously that it's entirely obvious it's untrue? What purpose do such blatant lies serve if no one takes them seriously? Examples of extremely ...
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Has authoritarianism been removed as an attribute of the right?
Historically, authoritarianism was an attribute of the right; during the French parliament in the momentous 1789 vote in which a decision was made regarding the veto power against the king post ...
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Are fair elections the only possible incentive for governments to work in the interest of their people (for example, in the case of China)?
Why does the Chinese government rule the country not phenomenally, but better than one would expect from unelected authorities? I think it's supposed to work the following way: the officials try to ...
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Are election boycotts effective against an authoritarian regime?
If there are no fair elections in a country, the opposition may choose to still participate and try to defend its result or to boycott an unfair election altogether. Are election boycotts effective ...
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Does the introduction of elections and other democratic institutions contribute to social disruptions and chaos in a country with a weak state?
I am conducting a research on a historical period in Iran in which a short period of premature democratic rule by a government with low state capabilities led to social disruptions and chaos and ...
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In authoritarian countries, is it more effective for protesters to make economic demands or political demands?
Context:
I was involved in a discussion about the rationality of protesters in Russia. The thesis was that, given that the regime is very reluctant to give up its political control over the country, ...
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