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THE GOOD (DEMOCRATS)
THE BAD (AUTHORITARIANS)
THE UGLY (TOTALITARIANS)
WHAT BIG QUESTIONS DO WE NEED TO
ANSWER?
What are the distinguishing characteristics of these
different regime types?
What major differences are there with respect to how
these types of leaders gain and maintain power?
What main differences are there with respect to how they
behave? How might these regimes put in place leaders
that differ with respect to key motivations, cognitive
ability and disposition, core beliefs and behavior?
WHAT IS A DEMOCRACY AND WHAT TYPES OF LEADERSHIP &
FOLLOWERSHIP BEHAVIORS DOES DEMOCRACY FOSTER?
• Democracies require open and ongoing competition among
potential political leaders where competing ideas are the currency
rather than force
• Democracies have elections where the people—either directly or
indirectly—decide which political leaders they agree with.
– Political leaders involved with such elections allow almost
anyone to participate as both candidates and voters
• Democracies assume that the people have a legitimate role in
holding elites accountable through elections or inst. checks.
• Democracies have rules—even if they are not all written down—
that are absolutely binding on political leaders
• In democracies, political leadership is at least theoretically a
temporary position that is completely contingent on being
competent, being committed to the rules, and being approved
WHAT IS A DEMOCRACY AND WHAT
TYPES OF BEHAVIORS DOES IT INSTILL?
• Democrats behave according to the principle that citizens have similar
degrees of political equality and citizenship; in practice they serve broad
selectorates (ultimately the people, but in the US, parties, donors and
elites are a more observant and sometimes more important selectorate)
• In democracies, information should be free and protest seen as legitimate.
Democracies teach and protect both basic human and civil liberties and
rights which causes followers to see themselves as entitled so that they
will exercise power
• The democratic process is final, and all actors usually accept the outcome
as legitimate
• Democracy often is not majority rule, direct (vs. representative) rule,
divided government, federalism, capitalism, checks and balances,
presidentialism… but all of these differences among democracies are
important factors in their leaders’ behaviors.
• What kind of motives and reasoning are necessary for top political leaders
to thrive in this kind of political system?
TOTALITARIANISM VS. AUTHORITARIANISM
What are the key differences with respect to:
• How long have these systems of leadership been around?
– Why has most of human history been about governance within authoritarian
systems?
– Like democracy, totalitarianism is a relatively new phenomenon. Why?
• How do political leaders come to power in toto and autho settings?
– Totalitarians usually rise from revolutions; authoritarians usually from coups
– Power transitions in totalitarian systems are highly problematic and
succession problems frequently lead to authoritarian systems replacing them
• How do undemocratic leaders institutionalize their power?
– Authoritarians control the political sphere by controlling key resources
prohibiting most types of mass political behavior; they use corruption,
patronage, and (usually) selective force to deal with their enemies.
– Totalitarians use indoctrination (propaganda, but also institutionalized
indoctrination) and forced politicization of the masses as well as widespread
violence and purges to remake the political, economic, social, and private
sphere.
TOTALITARIANISM VS. AUTHORITARIANISM
• What different role does ideology and mass mobilization play?
– Authoritarians emphasize order and progress, while minimizing
mobilization except when totally controlled;
– totalitarians emphasize scapegoats, a coherent historical myth ,
and constant, mass mobilization
• How do totalitarians see themselves?
– As singularly unique and serving of their masses. They are superhumans with messianic visions who have been given a central
role in determining the course of human events.
– The expect to transform their societies completely and usually
believe that they will have a global impact in doing so
• How do authoritarians see themselves?
– Some are completely self serving, while others are guided by
development, political modernization, or nationalist goals.
– Most authoritarian governments are systems of closed oligarchy:
monarchies, juntas, and single party system-