In The End of History and the Last Man (1992), Francis Fukuyama argued that liberal democracies may become the final form of human government. However, two decades later, 1/3 of the regimes on earth are still authoritarian. Some countries went through democratization, such as Spain after the death of Francisco Franco. But others remained authoritarian, such as North Korea. This course provides an introduction to authoritarian regimes and covers: 1) the different types of authoritarian regimes, which range from personalistic dictatorships to new forms where a variety of actors are institutionally represented (e.g., militants, monarchists, technocrats, etc.); 2) the conditions for authoritarian regimes to survive, function, and be accountable (e.g., Singapore); and 3) a comparison between democratic regimes and authoritarian regimes.
