10 Steps to Autocracy

I saw a yard sign today. It read, "Fight Truth Decay." It's funny and serious all at once.

"Yes, we know he's outrageous, but we've got it all under control." That seemed to be Republican sentiment in 2017. That sentiment is no longer valid, because it no longer matters. What matters is the complete demolition of democracy in the the pursuit of absolute power.

Autocracy

There are ten steps to complete control, and all of them are in play right now. (From a variety of online sources including The Authoritarian Playbook, The Conversation, and Stacey Abrams.

1. Exploiting divisions and polarizing society: Autocratic leaders often thrive on societal divisions, stoking fear and distrust among different groups, according to The Commons Social Change Library.
2. Attacking independent institutions: This includes undermining the media, judiciary, and other checks and balances within a democratic system. They might attack these institutions through legal means or by installing loyalists.
3. Spreading disinformation and controlling information: Authoritarian regimes use propaganda and control media outlets to shape public perception and suppress dissenting voices.
4. Aggrandizing executive power: Leaders increase their authority, often through executive orders or constitutional changes, while weakening legislatures and other institutions that limit their power.
5. Targeting and silencing the opposition: This includes restricting the ability of political opponents and civil society organizations to operate, potentially through legal action, harassment, or violence.
6. Manipulating elections: While maintaining the facade of democracy, autocrats may rig elections through vote suppression, gerrymandering, or altering voting rules.
7. Exploiting nationalism and populism: Leaders appeal to a sense of national pride and popular resentment against elites or minorities to solidify their power base.
8. Using emergency powers to justify repression: Claiming a need to maintain order or address threats (real or perceived), leaders might declare states of emergency to bypass legal constraints and repress dissent.
9. Controlling the economy and rewarding loyalists: Autocratic leaders often use economic control and patronage networks to ensure elite support and keep the public dependent on the regime.
10. Exporting the model and collaborating with other autocracies: Authoritarian regimes may seek to expand their influence internationally and exchange strategies for maintaining power. 

Now what?

A United Front!

"Trumpism… is primarily about the acquisition of power — power for its own sake. It is a multifront assault to make the earth a playground for ruthless men, so of course any institutions that might restrain power must be weakened or destroyed. Trumpism is about ego, appetite and acquisitiveness and is driven by a primal aversion to the higher elements of the human spirit — learning, compassion, scientific wonder, the pursuit of justice. …

What is happening now is not normal politics. We’re seeing an assault on the fundamental institutions of our civic life, things we should all swear loyalty to — Democrat, independent or Republican. It’s time for a comprehensive national civic uprising. It’s time for Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one coordinated mass movement. Trump is about power. The only way he’s going to be stopped is if he’s confronted by some movement that possesses rival power. …I’m really not a movement guy. I don’t naturally march in demonstrations or attend rallies that I’m not covering as a journalist. But this is what America needs right now.” -David Brooks

Quick Guide to Autocracy

 

What is an example of an autocracy?

Nazi Germany is an example of an autocracy run primarily by a single leader and his party. Indonesia under the Suharto's New Order (1966-1998). Greece under the military junta of Georgios Papadopoulos (1967–1974). wikipedia.org
What type of government is autocracy?


An autocracy is a form of government in which one ruler has absolute control and decision-making power. Autocracies have existed since ancient times, when kings and emperors ruled over great countries and tribal lands, and they exist today in the form of absolute monarchies and dictatorships. Jan 28, 2022 National Geographic

Does Russia have an autocracy?

Features. The tsar himself, the embodiment of sovereign authority, stood at the center of the tsarist autocracy, with full power over the state and its people. The autocrat delegated power to persons and institutions acting on his orders, and within the limits of his laws, for the common good of all Russia. Wikipedia Communist Russia and the Soviet Union under Stalin was autocratic.

Is Vladimir Putin an Autocrat?

Yes, according to the Atlantic, The BBC, The Journal of Democracy, CNN, The Brooking Institute, The Economist, Politico, Forbes and many more. Other autocratic countries includeChina, Iran, Kazakhstan, Laos, North Korea, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan...

Is Trump an autocrat?

Autocracy is certainly his leadership style, and the leaders he admires most are autocrats. Shawn M. Burn Ph.D. thinks so. In her article for Psychology Today she writes of The Perils of Trump's Autocratic Leadership Style. Her points:

• Autocratic (authoritarian) leaders use, and often abuse, their coercive power to get people to do their bidding.

• Another problem is that using threats or intimidation to foster loyalty often backfires. Superficially, you may have the loyalty and respect of your subordinates, but it is not the real thing, driven as it is by fear rather than true respect.

• Another problem with autocratic leadership is that it lends itself to poor decision-making. Trump’s insistence on the unquestioning loyalty of those in his administration is also a set-up for groupthink and consequent poor decision-making.

Democracy in Retreat

Democracy has been in decline for the past 15 years and Putin has been behind the decline. And yet, Putin sees himself as the champion of democracy.


"Putin has spent more than two decades consolidating power, rebuilding Russia’s military and weakening his enemies. He has repeatedly undermined democratic movements and popular uprisings, including those in Syria and Belarus. He has meddled in Western elections. And he has deployed Russian troops to enforce his will, including in Georgia and Crimea.

The invasion of Ukraine — the largest war in Europe since World War II — is a significant escalation of this behavior. The country’s fall would mark a violent end to one of the world’s democracies." German Lopez, NYTimes