Drivers of Authoritarianism: Paths and Developments at the Beginning of the 21st Century (Elgar Studies in Law and Politics)

Drivers of Authoritarianism provides a prescient deep-dive into modern threats to pluralism and democracy in times of crisis. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this incisive book analyses the social, political, economic and psychological consequences of crises during the first decades of the 21st century, powered by the proliferation of authoritarian regimes and their ideologies. Günter Frankenberg and Wilhelm Heitmeyer bring together esteemed academics from a diverse range of disciplines to consider the ways in which crises have acted as catalysts for authoritarian developments. The book assesses the effects of authoritarianism at individual, social, national and global levels, raising concerns for the future of political and social stability. Chapters explore exterminism, authoritarian cultural identities, left-wing identity politics as a driver of authoritarianism, media entertainment and authoritarianism, and the role of gender in right-wing authoritarian populism. This timely book will be a vital read for academics, researchers and students specialising in constitutional and administrative law, law and politics, and public policy. Providing expert insight into the political landscape of the early 21st century this book will also be of great interest to political professionals and policymakers working at local, national and international levels. Front Matter Copyright Contents Contributors Preface PART I On the theory and empiricism of authoritarianism 1. Authoritarian developments as a threat to democracy and pluralism PART II Threats to democracies and authoritarian system competition 2. Authoritarian forms of rule in the twenty-first century 3. Autocratization as a global process? Authoritarianism and democracy in an international context 4. Self-assertion without self-determination 5. The authoritarian direction of radicalised conservatism PART III Capitalist economies and social crises 6. Loss of control, authoritarianism and exterminism in the Great Transformation 7. Crises and loss of control - opportunity structures for the drivers of authoritarian social developments 8. Of ‘bulwarks’ and ‘sacred borders’. Authoritarian refugee policies in Europe PART IV Authoritarian mentalities and identity politics 9. Dynamics of authoritarianism: an essay 10. Authoritarian cultural identities: understanding the new right in the tradition of Oswald Spengler 11. Left-wing identity politics as a driver of authoritarian developments PART V New role assignments, affective narratives, and media concepts of politics 12. Women, gender and right-wing authoritarian populism 13. Promises of sovereignty in authoritarian populism: a feminist critique 14. Media entertainment and right-wing authoritarian political ideas, an example: the storming of the Capitol PART VI Repressive instruments and authoritarian movements and the state 15. Leviathan with a beaked mask 16. Pegasus: the unbounded surveillance industry in the service of the authoritarian 17. Under what conditions do authoritarian social movements develop in Western societies? Index