Definition
The Authoritarian state is characterized by constraints on political institutions and groups (usually having only one legal political party), claiming that the regime is a necessary evil to combat a social problem, control of the public, and a vaguely defined executive power. This means that the government were not responsible to the people. Not all authoritarian states are dictatorships or totalitarian states. Authoritarian states differ from totalitarian states, as authoritarian states rely on passive mass acceptance instead of popular support. Authoritarian States are a system of government that puts order and obedience to the regime above the personal freedoms of its citizens.
Different Types of Authoritarian States
Traditional authoritarian regimes
In countries with such regimes, the leader holds onto power through appeals to legitimacy and repression. An example of this can be seen in Haile Selassie I's Ethiopia.
Bureaucratic-Military authoritarian regimes
A bureaucratic-military authoritarian state is usually governed by a coalition of military officers and technocrats that act realistically for the best interests of the country. It's difference from a military regime is that a bureaucratic-military authoritarian regime it can be viewed as a powerful group of technocrats using the state to improve the country. An example is Park Chung Hee's South Korea.
In countries with such regimes, the leader holds onto power through appeals to legitimacy and repression. An example of this can be seen in Haile Selassie I's Ethiopia.
Bureaucratic-Military authoritarian regimes
A bureaucratic-military authoritarian state is usually governed by a coalition of military officers and technocrats that act realistically for the best interests of the country. It's difference from a military regime is that a bureaucratic-military authoritarian regime it can be viewed as a powerful group of technocrats using the state to improve the country. An example is Park Chung Hee's South Korea.