Is authoritarianism simply the opposite of democracy? Is it best thought of as a
ID: 112241 • Letter: I
Question
Is authoritarianism simply the opposite of democracy? Is it best thought of as an absence of democratic freedoms and rights? Or is democracy best thought of as an absence of authoritarianism? Why? Is authoritarianism simply the opposite of democracy? Is it best thought of as an absence of democratic freedoms and rights? Or is democracy best thought of as an absence of authoritarianism? Why? Is authoritarianism simply the opposite of democracy? Is it best thought of as an absence of democratic freedoms and rights? Or is democracy best thought of as an absence of authoritarianism? Why?Explanation / Answer
Not a typical question under the subject 'Earth Science', however, taking the subject in a broader sense the social set up that governs earth and the components in it must be a part of this multi-disciplinary subject. Therefore, I will attempt to answer your question in brief.
The one-word answer would be, 'no'. Authoritarianism is not completely opposed to democracy. Totalitarianism may be, but not authoritarianism. Totalitarianism is when everything, be it social, economic, environmental, all are under the Government (or who-so-ever is governing) control. However, in Authoritarianism, many institutions exist that are not under the Government control even though there may be limited autonomy that these institutions enjoy. The authoritarianism is characterized by limited political freedom, strong central power, and less constitutional accountability. Democracy is a broader term indicating a Government elected by people or what may be called as the 'rule of the majority'. However, democracy might mildly or strongly possess authoritarian characteristics. There is no guarantee that the elected government will ensure political freedom unless the constitutional resilience is very high. The democracy can be managed and made authoritarian and even then the freedom and rights may be made limited. So, we can not always expect that authoritarianism is absent in a democracy. Also, authoritarianism might not mean complete absence of democratic freedom and rights. An authoritarian regime might as well provide its citizens with limited freedom and rights to avoid social unrest and revolt. Therefore, there is no clear distinction of what is what. Authoritarianism and democracy overlap at many instances. So, it is best if analyzed based on specific contexts and regions.
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