Democracy and authoritarianism are to some extent opposing forms of government. On the one hand, democracy is the form of government in which, through the vote of the citizens, their representatives are elected, who will defend their ideals and interests. Theoretically, in a “pure” democracy, the majority cannot be limited in any way and should always be able to prevail over the minority. Difference between Democracy and Authoritarianism
On the other hand, authoritarianism is a political regime in which power is exercised in an authoritarian way. This means that whoever represents the highest authority figure in a state abuses it. Forms of government such as dictatorship or fascism generally practice authoritarianism as a way to maintain power over their citizens. It is worth mentioning that a democracy could become an authoritarian government in certain cases; in theory they are opposed, in practice it could happen. Difference between Democracy and Authoritarianism
Democracy | Authoritarianism | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The majority rule. In a democracy, an individual or group of individuals who make up a minority have no power against the unlimited power of the majority. It is a case of the majority over the minority. | It is a form of government in which the government imposes its authority, almost always in a repressive and aggressive way, on its citizens. Authoritarianism is oppressive, totalitarian, despotic, among other similar characteristics. |
| Government restrictions | No. The majority is imposed at all times. | Yes. The government or the figure that has the power rules over all. |
| Philosophy | The voice of all citizens has the same value and weight when making decisions. | The only voice that really matters is that of the dictator, president, or party in power. |
| Most famous examples | Ancient Rome and Greece are the two greatest examples of this ideology. | Nazi Germany, Italy under the government of Mussolini or Spain ruled by Franco. |
| About sovereignty | The sovereignty of a nation governed by this system depends entirely on the people. | The state is the absolute sovereign. It is he who governs all institutions (if any) and makes all decisions. Difference between Democracy and Authoritarianism |
| Political system | Democratic (it should be mentioned that it is not related to the American Democratic Party) | Fascism, totalitarianism, dictatorship; many types of government can be authoritarian. |
| About religion | Freedom of belief is allowed although the majority could limit the beliefs of the minority without problems. | There are so-called theocratic governments that rule in an authoritarian way and use religion as a tool to control the masses. |
| Variations | Direct democracy, parliamentary democracy, representative democracy, and presidential democracy are some variations of democracy. | Totalitarianism, fascism, absolutism, autocracy, despotism, dictatorship, theocracy, militarism, nationalism, among others, are usually related to each other, many times they coexist with each other at the same time. |
| Modern examples | More than half of the countries of the modern world, including the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, among others. | One of the most popular examples of modern authoritarianism is the North Korean government, under the power of its leader Kim Jong-un. Difference between Democracy and Authoritarianism |
