Building an authoritarian regime: strategies for autocratisation and resistance in Belarus and Slovakia

Trantidis, Aris (2021) Building an authoritarian regime: strategies for autocratisation and resistance in Belarus and Slovakia. British Journal of Politics and International Relations . ISSN 1369-1481

Full content URL: https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1369148120978964

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Building an authoritarian regime: strategies for autocratisation and resistance in Belarus and Slovakia
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Abstract

The article explores the conditions under which incumbent leaders in initially competitive
political systems manage to offset democratic resistance and establish an authoritarian regime.
Autocratisation – the transition from a competitive political system to a regime dominated
by a single political force – is a challenging effort for an incumbent and involves interventions
in three ‘arenas’ to achieve (a) public legitimation, (b) institutional reforms increasing political
repression and (c) mass-scale co-optation. Focusing on Slovakia and Belarus in the 1990s, where
autocratisation efforts failed and succeeded respectively, the article finds that co-optation plays a
catalytic role in helping the incumbent pass institutional reforms and escalate repression without
risking de-legitimation. In Belarus, co-optation engulfed society and the economy whereas, in
Slovakia, a socioeconomic environment with greater autonomy from government limited the
scope for co-optation. The Slovak opposition was able to find the resources and supporters
necessary to fight back against the incumbent.

Keywords:Authoritarianism, semi-authoritarianism, Belarus, Democratic theory, Populism, Slovakia, Lukashenko, Electoral authoritarianism, Competitive authoritarianism, Autocratization, Democratic backsliding, Clientelism, Eastern European politics, hybrid regimes, hegemonic regimes
Subjects:L Social studies > L243 Politics of a specific country/region
L Social studies > L220 Political Systems
L Social studies > L222 Democracy
L Social studies > L200 Politics
L Social studies > L221 Autocracy
L Social studies > L260 Comparative Politics
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Social & Political Sciences
ID Code:43225
Deposited On:08 Dec 2020 10:45

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