Authoritarianism and Globalization in Historical Perspective

Abstract

For historians, just as much as for political scientists, the concept of authoritarianism is deeply bound up with the related ideas of democracy and, in particular, 20th century totalitarianism. In political science this has often evolved into debates over classification, e.g. what regimes were truly “totalitarian” or truly “fascist”. Yet, while issues of taxonomy are important when comparing nations quantitatively and synchronically, they become less salient when considering dynamics of change over time. Thinking historically about the relationship between authoritarianism and globalization, our attention is drawn away from fixed definitions and towards the ways in which regimes secure their authority over time. The way in which they do so develops in response to changing internal and external contexts and challenges, not least that of globalization. The idea of globalization has also been embraced by historians in recent years, but in ways that emphasize the evolving nature of transnational forces, linkages and flows since (at least) the last five centuries when not one, but several “globalizations” and “de-globalizations” are deemed to have taken place. This piece approaches these topics from the perspective of an historian – by focusing on processes of change – and in relation to two important but neglected dimensions: the engagement of authoritarian regimes in international systems, and the interaction between authoritarianism and global population movements.