Authoritarianism

A government is called authoritarian if it has a strong central government, and rejects the ideas of pluralism. It is between democracy on one side, and totalitarianism on the other.

Official Photo of Augusto Pinochet, created about 1974. Pinochet led Chile in an authoritarian manner, while he was in power (1974–1990)

Monarchies sometimes fit this pattern. As of 2020, examples of countries with authoritarian regimes include the People's Republic of China, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Laos, Nicaragua and Russia. Several states on the Persian Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman or Qatar also fit this pattern. However, North Korea is considered totalitarian.

States such as these use strong central power to keep the political status from changing. There are reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting.