5.3.5 Authoritarianism and Freedom Today
5.3.5 Authoritarianism and Freedom Today
What does freedom mean?
Courtesy: Freedom House
(Explanation here)
Green=Free
Yellow=Partially Free
Purple=Not Free
Great changes have been made in political systems through both peaceful and through violent means, but many nations in the world today are not considered fully "free".
Consider the 2019 map to the left from Freedom House, an independent organization that supports the expansion of freedom around the world. Only those countries coloured green are considered to be truly free.
This map suggests that, although most of the world's territory may be ruled by liberal governments, the majority of people in the world live under restrictive regimes that allow only a limited amount of personal freedom.
Freedom House defines a free country as one in which people have political rights and civil rights. Political rights allow them to vote and elect representatives who are accountable to them. Civil rights are identified below.
Civil rights include the fundamental rights and freedoms outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948:
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of expression
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom from torture
Although many authoritarian governments deny people individual rights and freedoms and often resort to brutal measures to maintain power, many do have the chief objective of providing a better life for their citizens. Authoritarian regimes are often very good at achieving their goals.
Illiberalism, Authoritarianism, and Democracy
Many nations call themselves democracies because they have free and regular elections. However, their actual practices do not support fully liberal principles. When a nation does not support liberalism, it is said to be illiberal or to practise illiberalism. All authoritarian nations can be said to be illiberal because they do not allow their leaders to be elected and they deny their citizens civil rights.Democratic nations may also practice illiberalism. A highly democratic nation such as the United States may be considered illiberal when it denies fundamental freedoms in times of crisis. The USA Patriot Act is an example. After the attack on the World Trade Center, the United States established immediately an act that broadened the powers of law enforcement to protect citizens from terrorism. Many claim this act has restricted civil liberties. The cartoon on the left by US cartoonist Clay Bennett suggests that people have been forced to give up their right to privacy to protect their security.
Liberalism in Venezuela
Other democratic nations, such as Venezuela, have regular elections in which there is strong participation. Now- deceased socialist President Hugo Chavez set price controls on food, contributed heavily to education and health care especially for the very poor, worked towards economic equality, and nationalized key industries. There have been concerns about intimidation of the press. Venezuela also has high rates of political corruption, is a centre for drug trafficking, and has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. In 2009, a referendum was held in which the majority of voters supported removing term limits for elected officials, which some believe limits liberalism.Is it possible for an authoritarian government to address the needs of its citizens?