Fiona’s Reviews > The Politics of Authoritarian Rule > Status Update

In 1971, Saddam Hussain boasted in reference to the three-year process of establishing the Baath party's control over all major organised sectors of the Iraqi state and society:
"With our party methods, there is no chance for anyone who disagrees with us to jump on a couple of tanks and overthrow the government."

The logic of political party-based authoritarian regimes lies in the sunk-cost fallacy of a hierarchal system wherein those at the bottom work more for less whilst those at the top enjoy more benefits, individuals recruited & subsumed into the party are reluctant to turn on the regime after investing years hoping to climb the ladder or enjoying unfair privileges if already at the top; they need the regime to survive.

On the rise of Idi Amin:
"The government needed the army for its survival & security more than the army needed the government... By giving Amin the power that went beyond his ability to provide military support... Obote let a genie out the bottle... it was a genie which grew so much that by about 1969 it was too big to be forced back."

The hazard for dictatorships in their use of the military lies in the Faustian deal that is the military gaining independence & pushing for more benefits as it becomes more indispensable in quelling mass opposition. The very instruments which enable the military to protect the dictator empower it to then threaten and depose of the latter.

"The soldan of Egypt, or the emperor of Rome, might drive his harmless subjects, like brute beasts, against their sentiments and inclination: but he must, at least, have led his mamelukes or praetorian bands, like men, by their opinions."
Hume
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"Our principle is that the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the party."
Mao Zedong

Whilst institutions place limits on the dictator's power, they also strengthen his regime by reinforcing it from the inside, increasing transparency between the elites and reducing the risk of conspiracy or sudden attacks-both coups and uprisings. Institutions in authoritarian countries therefore fittingly operate in an authoritarian manner.

Even though Deng Xiaoping had put rules in place to restrict the future leadership of China, these rules were unable to be imposed on him nor eclipse his immense influence and authority even after leaving office due to the large personality cult he had cultivated and the fact that he was credited with opening China up to the world. The same applies to Mao and his personality cult which could not be contained.

2) The second way political institutions contribute to authoritarian stability is by making it easier to survey the dictator & keep him in check should he ignore agreements between him & the ruling elite (this is only possible if the latter's threat of rebellion is credible). Formal rules on jurisdiction, decision-making etc... create clear lines, if the dictator crosses them it can be observed & raise the alarm.

Political institutions contribute to authoritarian stability in two ways:
1) By increasing transparency amongst authoritarian elites & the dictator there's less secrecy or suspicion which could lead to mistrust & miscalculation of the dictator's intentions by the allies who may attempt to usurp him, causing destabilising ripple effects for the regime & country. Revenue & major policy changes are also reviewed.

"When an artful & bold man is placed at the head of an army or faction [...] he allows no such open communication that his enemies can know, with certainty, their number and force. Even those, who are the instruments of his usurpation, may wish his fall; but their ignorance of each other's intentions keeps them in awe, and is the sole cause of his security."
David Hume, Of the Original Contract