Authoritarianism

Catalog description

The course introduces students to the political science literature on authoritarian regimes, the most prevalent form of government throughout history. What are the sources of political authority under authoritarianism? What institutional and power structures do elites establish to further their interests? Why do political institutions differ across authoritarian regimes, and why does that matter? Why do some authoritarian regimes face popular insurrections, coups, and democratization while others do not? How do authoritarian regimes manipulate public opinion through propaganda, biased media, and personality cults? How vulnerable are present-day democracies to authoritarian backsliding? By the end of the course, students should be able to understand the basic principles of politics under authoritarianism. The course covers various historical and contemporary cases from Africa, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.