The political system or disposition in which power is concentrated in a single leader or small group, political opposition is suppressed, and citizens are subordinated to the state — a category that encompasses regimes from military juntas to competitive autocracies, and a problem that democracy has never solved.
Authoritarianism is not simply the opposite of democracy — it is democracy's shadow and constant companion. Most authoritarian regimes hold elections. Most emerged from democratic or semi-democratic systems. And research consistently shows that a substantial minority of citizens in every democracy prefer strong-leader rule to pluralist politics. Understanding authoritarianism requires understanding why it keeps returning, not just what it looks like when it arrives.