As It Happens...

I decided to rummage through my library to escape the hustle and bustle of life and the intense news cycle. As it happens... I stumbled upon a book. 

Book title: The Democratic and The Authoritarian State 

Author: Franz Leopold Neumann

Editor and author of the foreword: Herbert Marcuse, the famous interpreter of Hegel and Freud from the Frankfurt School. 

The edition I have is from 1964. 

The book focuses on political power. The part that caught my interest is the section titled Notes on the Theory of Dictatorship. 

The author admits: Even though it is a common phrase, there is no comprehensive definition or study of "dictatorship." 

He roughly divides dictatorships into three categories: 

1) Simple Dictatorship (a dictatorship that bases its power solely on brute force)

2) Caesarist Dictatorship (a dictatorship that relies on strong popular support in addition to brute force)

3) Totalitarian Dictatorship (In cases where brute force and popular support are not enough; it may be necessary to control education, communication tools, and economic institutions. In these cases, it is not enough to establish dominance over society as a whole; the private lives of citizens must also be suppressed.)

Looking at the author's distinction, we see that he understands a totalitarian dictatorship as an Orwellian dystopia, but he does not exclude a Huxleyan totalitarian dictatorship that regulates the comfort zones of individual citizens and somehow secures their consent. As is known, the Orwellian dystopia has given way to the Huxleyan order. The "dictatorships" that appeared Orwellian were gradually erased from history after the Atlantic Alliance won the Cold War, and they continue to be erased. Those who hold sway in world domination are "democratic-looking" technocapitalist dictatorships that gain the consent of the masses and harness them through consumption and political activities. In these dictatorships, people who think they are free may not feel the oppression, or when they do feel it from time to time, they may even "think they are resisting." They might even think that the system can be changed. 

Neumann writes that the following techniques are used to establish a totalitarian dictatorship: 

1) The Leadership Principle (imposing the leadership of the one at the very top and responsibility to the one at the very top)

2) The "synchronization" of all social organizations (not just controlling them, but ensuring they all serve the state)

3) The creation of layered elite groups (so that rulers can control the masses from within and hide their manipulation over them)

4) The atomization and isolation of the individual (weakening or destroying social units based on biological ties, traditional structures, and workplace collaborations; establishing mass organizations where it is easier to control people individually)

5) Turning culture into propaganda, transforming cultural values into tradable commodities, and finally, making it felt that terror can be applied to any person at any moment... 

The author does not view all dictatorships negatively. He states that at different moments in history, dictatorships can have positive functions. 

Unfortunately, the author is from the past. He knows neither competitive authoritarianism nor the "tram of democracy." That is fine. Sometimes it is good to read the old. Thanks to the author, we gain a more nuanced view of dictatorships. 

The author also puts on the table the critical importance of fear in the establishment of a dictatorship and in finding supporters. Of course, how could the author know... Years later, we have new fears, such as fearing credit debt or fearing social media lynching. As it happens... While I meant to read, I ended up reading about dictatorship again.