Origins and development of authoritarian and single-party states

IB Paper 2 Topic

Nature of Single-Party States

• Arise during periods of conflict, division or confusion in a society

• Outcome of– war (including aftermath), – economic collapse, – religious or ethnic strife, or – deep social divisions and class conflicts.

• These stresses lead to:– Sense of hopelessness or despair– Fear for future/chaos

Nature of Single-Party States

• Under these conditions population may be attracted to extreme measure or ideologies which promise:– Hope– Optimism– Order in daily life

• The extreme measures often include– Surrendering political

power to one party which seeks to implement its ideology across all aspects of society.

– Suppression of other political parties and POV either legally or through physical force

Nature of Single-Party States

• All aspects of life (social, economic, and cultural) are brought under control of the party and must conform to their value system and viewpoints

• This is accomplished through– harsh repressive techniques– Propaganda (to eliminate other POV)

The Rise of Single Party States

• To understand the methods, circumstances and decisions that lead to a country being taken over by a single party and single leader, the following topics will be addressed– The Leader– The Historical Context– The Elimination of Opposition

The Leader• Single party states place emphasis on– Unique talent– Intelligence– Insight and courage

• The leader personifies the party to the point of being virtually synonymous with it – single-person states – the party provides the support structure through which the leader gains extraordinary personal power.

The Leader -- Qualities1. Physical characteristics – size, appearance, personal magnetism,

show of strength and power.2. Intelligence, spiritual depth, ability to articulate program of reform

and advancement for nation3. Personal skills – public speaking, writer, personal charm, charisma,

ability to project aura of confidence, determination, sincerity4. Ability to recruit and gain support of other powerful and talented

individuals as well as maintain a large following of the general population

5. Personal history – heroism, courage, personal sacrifice, struggle against injustices (real or perceived)

6. Motivation and commitment to succeed

The Leader -- Ideology and Political Platform

• All must present their broad principles and vision for the future along with how they plan to make their ideals tangible, coherent policies, programs, and actions

• Create their vision of the direction of the party• Inspire and attract followers• Must translate ideology into practical policies i.e.

Peace, Land, and Bread statements of Lenin were not Marxist ideology, but a practical political platform to solve and immediate issue.

The Leader -- Ideology and Political Platform

• Leaders must be ready and willing to adjust/adapt ideology and platform to changing circumstances in order to retain power.

• In some instances leaders must abandon or postpone key parts of their ideology to be successful.– Hitler first created jobs before expanding his borders– Lenin abandoned Marxist ideology with the New

Economic Policy– Mao put off his communist vision in favor of land reforms

which turned millions of peasants into land owners.

The Leader -- Policies and Political Platform• Key to success is how effectively they can design a program

that answers the concerns of a significant number of people• Platform must contain concrete statements and proposals that

focus on specific causes of a country’s problems and promise relief.

• Policies often presented in the form of short, direct slogans or phrases to attract support and increase the popularity of the leader.

• The ability to address a crisis with specific solutions rather than vague utopian ideology is an advantage.

• Hitler’s promise of jobs and Mao and Castro’s promise of land form were important issues of the time and garnered popular support.

The Leader – Delivering the message• “The medium is the message”• Modern communication

techniques, technology and advertising psychology give tremendous lifts to the platform of any political leader.

• The appeal of a political platform may lie in the delivery

• Rallies designed by Goebbels give enormous boosts to the power of Hitler’s speeches – emotions were overwhelming

and led crowds to uncritically accept the statements of the leader.

• The following are some methods used to deliver the message –– Short slogans and phrases– Colored flags, uniforms and

posters– Music and song, film, radio– Mass public rallies and

spectacles– Focus on youth and young

families

The Leader – Strategies to take power• Variety of techniques may be used to take power• Various combinations with different degrees of emphasis – depends on

the country and its situation.• Well known tactics include:

– Civil war– Political campaigns– Coups d'état– Mass uprising– Alliances with foreign powers– Intimidation of opponents– Propaganda and media control

• Hitler and Mussolini took advantage of existing political system to take over with little violence or confrontation

• Castro and Mao found it necessary to use guerrilla warfare to take power• Lenin engineered a military coup d'état

The Historical Context• Single-party states are characterized as crisis states as

events or occurrences can create the conditions from which they arise.

• People are prepared to accept extreme solutions to problems that overwhelm their social group or society as a whole.

• Societies with democratic traditions may be prepared to accept dictatorial or repressive government if they feel all other methods have failed.

• Economic collapse, political revolution or social anarchy are power inducements for radical change if people believe stability will be restored to their daily lives..

Historical Context

• Crisis states are induced by– War, includes the aftermath of war– Economic crisis– Political instability– Lack of leadership– Unpopular or tyrannical governments– Fear of revolution– New ideas introduced into politics– Nationalism, independence movements

Historical Context• Single party states do not emerge in times of– Peace – Prosperity– Optimism

• Can be argued that they cannot emerge in societies that do not exhibit desperate characteristics.

Historical Context• Examples– Russia’s extreme suffering due to World War I– Defeat, famine, unemployment and political chaos– Led to abdication of Tsar and provided conditions for

rise of Lenin– Germany’s economic crisis, fear and societal chaos as

brought on by the Great Depression– In China, Mao emerged following long and bitter

period history marked with invasion, conquest, foreign intervention and civil war.

Elimination of Opposition• In almost every case of a single party acquiring

power, it can be shown that prior to the regime change, the defeated power had failed to respond effectively to the problems in society or the crisis at hand. This virtually opened the door to its opponents.

• May be the result of a weak or indecisive leader or governmental body that is unable to appreciate the size of the challenge being faced.

Elimination of Opposition

• The main ways a government in power may be unable to withstand the challenge of a single-party movement may include:– Weak or unpopular policies– Rigid or insensitive attitudes to some parts of the population– Failure to reform or a determination to retain traditional

structure and policies– Divided leadership – no clear direction in the face of a

focused or determined challenger– Underestimating the strength or popularity of the opposition

Elimination of Opposition• Italy after WWI was too weak and lack effective

policies to deal with the collapse of the economy, widespread violence and treats of a socialist revolution.

• Allowed Mussolini to move into a vacuum and present himself as a strong force who would restore order, discipline and direction to the society.

• “Power was lying on the ground waiting for an assertive person to pick it up.”

Elimination of Opposition• Germany’s use of traditional policies to deal

with the Great Depression caused them to have the worst experience of any Western country during the period.

• The lack of leadership in the Weimar government kept it from coping with the economic hardships and almost led to a complete society breakdown, almost to the verge of civil war.

Elimination of Opposition• In China, Chiang Kai-shek was unable to discard his

commitment to the traditional social structure in which power remained in the hands of landowners.

• He failed to understand the strength of the opposition and use appropriate military tactics to fight a guerrilla war.

• He failed to Japan which weakened support for his leadership.

• Chiang was unable to gain political support making it impossible to develop get any majority support for his programs.

Elimination of Opposition• Fulgencio Batista in Cuba mistakenly continued with

traditional repressive tactics and failed to respond to the growth of new movements for change.

• Batista failed to see the political shift in Cuba – the middle class now supported Castro's political programs.

• Batista tried to retain power by using repressive measure on the middle class and his power complete disintegrated.

• U.S. popular opinion also shifted and when the U.S. withdrew their support for Batista, it was impossible for Batista to remain in power.

Elimination of Opposition• After World War II, many colonial rulers lost

power and credibility.• The colonial rulers lost power and credibility in

the eyes of their subjects. This made them vulnerable to leaders proposing independence and social change.

• Former colonial governors were unable to recognize or will to accept that they no longer were able to dominate populations.

Elimination of Opposition -- Totalitarianism

• Creating a society in which all aspects(social, economic, religious, political) of life are completely controlled, directed and determined by his party.

• No rival ideals, organizations, value systems or views are permitted.

• Totalism extends beyond control to the belief that man and his nature can be reshaped by the ruling group into something ideal.

Elimination of Opposition -- Totalitarianism

• Used new technologies and monopolized their use to further their power an d control over their citizens.

• Use technology to monitor, record, track, film and in everyway oversee the activities of its citizens.

Elimination of Opposition -- Totalitarianism

• Variables would influence the degree to which a state archived the total control it desired.

• Skill and dedication of the leader and key government officials. Stalin consider extremely focused and hard-working in pursuing his goals. Hitler no prepared to put in much effort, and oversaw a state disorganized and sometimes chaotic government.

• Physical size could aid or impede totalitarian control.

Elimination of Opposition -- Totalitarianism

• Cultural norms and previously existing attitudes could have an impact on total control. – Germany and Italy had strong traditions of

individualism, liberalism and democratic traditions.

– On the other hand, the Soviet Union and China had always been autocracies with no individual rights, constitutions or traditions of individualism.

Elimination of Opposition -- Totalitarianism

• Enthusiasm and dedication of the ruling party may also assist in the imposition of a totalitarian state.

• The degree to which a ruling party can convince the population that their measures have been successful in solving problems and improving life is the measure of their success.

• The Cultural Revolution under Mao was partly and attempt to restore zeal to the party and to continue the task of totally transforming China and its people.

Establishing and maintaining power

• “the ability to acquire power is one thing, but the real challenge is to hold on to it for a long period of time.”

• Could be more of a challenge to maintain power than to attain it.

• The public will demand quick solutions to the crisis that brought the new party into power.

• Party must quickly consolidate power by addressing the problem AND eliminate possible challenges from other individuals or groups.

Establishing and maintaining power

• Consolidation or establishment of power in any state is achieved through a blend of repression and attraction.– Leader has power because he builds a loyal following

based on his policies that appeal to BOTH his supporters and to a large proportion of the population.

– He identifies and eliminates or controls all potential challenges from individual or groups in a society AND within his own party.

Attracting support

• Minimizes opposition by turning citizens into supporters.

• Carry out promises made during electoral campaigns or the revolutionary period through job creation, economic stability, land reforms, industrialization, etc.

• Enact policies to attract support from key areas that support rearmament, industrial expansion, welfare or social programs, etc.

Repression

• Single party states usually emerge during periods of conflict or crisis as they take power from existing governments through violent measures.

• There may be residual or large pockets of opposition that remain.

• To consolidate and remain in power, they may take firm steps to eliminate all sources of opposition

• Once identified, the party will eliminate the opposition through threats and intimidation.

Opposition

• May come from outside of the party structure such as:– Political parties– Social classes– Trade unions– Religious groups – Media organizations– Armed forces/police– Businessmen– Local or state governments

Opposition

• Opposition may come from inside the party such as:– Rivals for leadership– Dissident factions– Philosophical opponents

Elimination of opposition 346

• All methods at their disposal may be used.• Legal bans