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Chapter 9 — Toward a General Understanding of Dictatorship and Authoritarian States Study Chapter Summary “In chapter 9, we address some of the
challenges to the dominant ideologies in the democratic and communist worlds.
We turn to look at the idea of dictatorships and authoritarian regimes. In trying to understand how dictatorships
function we look to the past challenge of fascism and its most virulent form,
Nazism. However, we should note that have been many other forms of
dictatorships throughout human history. “Indeed, the idea of a dictatorship is an
ancient one and one that was not always considered an evil form of
government. However, in the modern era
few have defended the idea of dictatorship.
Nonetheless, we will look at a few thinkers who did defend the idea.” Fascism is the general term used to
describe a totalitarian or authoritarian political ideology characterized by
dictatorial leadership, an oppressive one-party system, glorification of the
nation-state and its people, aggressive militarism, and political, economic,
and social policies designed (allegedly) to overcome the weaknesses of liberal
democracy, the threat of anarchy, and the fear of communism. Why study fascism, and the Nazi variety
of fascism? There are several reasons. First, Nazism threatened to annihilate
the very fabric of modern civilization. For twelve nightmarish years, German
power, guided by the insane Nazi ideology, was a mortal enemy of peace, social
and political justice, human rights, economic well-being, and human decency.
Second, Nazism posed a specific challenge to liberal democracy, democratic
socialism, and communism. Third, a study of Nazism may shed light on neofascism
and right-wing authoritarianism. Today, Germany and Italy have democratic and
constitutional governments. However, repressive regimes exist throughout the
Middle East, Asia, and in some African nations. Thus, we must be alert to the
possibility of new varieties of fascism appearing. Chapter 9 concludes with a discussion of
political futurists---students of politics who see failings in many of the
ideologies that dominate politics today and call for creative breakthroughs in
our political thinking to help overcome problems of war, poverty, and the
ongoing ecological degradation of the planet. Chapter Objectives After reading this chapter, you should be
able to...
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