Whether opportunistic, myopic, or even bumbling, authoritarian leaders seek to cement their power by restricting citizen rights and controlling the political system. They do so by employing a wide range of tactics including, political repression, the exclusion of competing parties, and the manipulation of media and business to promote a regime-centric vision of reality. Authoritarian regimes seek control over all aspects of society – government, education, religion and the arts, media and communications, businesses, and economics. This is why it is so important for organizers and bridge-builders to understand what an authoritarian regime looks like, how they manipulate their people, and ways to fight them.
Oftentimes, authoritarian regimes emerge in destabilized nations, filling the vacuum of power left by previous regimes. They typically justify their rule with cults of personality, aggrandizement of the trappings of office, and denunciation of checks and balances as corrupt obstacles to popular will. They may also manipulate institutions such as legislatures and elections in order to entrench their rule.
Strong democracies have independent media and a vocal opposition that alert the public when their leaders are abusing their power. In contrast, authoritarian regimes attempt to weaken these voices by restricting freedom of the press and silencing any opposing voices that may exist in a given society (either from within or outside their own faction). In some cases, they may also use their economic might to buy up the media, limiting the number and scope of independent outlets available.
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