Rise of Authoritarianism and The Crisis of Democracy

Abstract

The world is witnessing the rise of Authoritarianism, posing grave threats to democracy and human rights on a global scale. Nearly every day, reports on erosion of democracy have surfaced on the various media and institutional platforms. Countries with long-established democracies are facing challenges from internal/external forces who exploit the shortcomings in their systems, promoting hatred, violence, and sectarianism. They are also witnessing policies being implemented which is tilting it towards ‘Authoritarianism.’

Many factors such as Globalisation, Migration, Poverty, increasing Inequalities etc. are being identified as factors contributing to the rise of ‘Authoritarianism’. As it is considered to be a grave threat to democracy, the forces need to be overcome. Efforts need to be taken to help restore/guarantee democracy so that the authoritarian model does not prevail or gets established. The research paper therefore focusses on understanding ‘Authoritarianism’ as experienced in a political system, the factors which have given rise to it and its impact.