Buenos Aires
Authoritarianism, Democracy, and Civil Society
Democracy is in retreat across the world to an extent unseen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. The advance of traditional autocracies is compounded by the rise of populist movements—both on the right and the left—that, once in power, erode systems of institutional checks, marginalize opposition forces, and suppress civil society. These two tendencies, operating in tandem with new communication technologies, have produced, in many countries around the world and in Latin America in particular, a significant erosion of democratic public culture. How long can democracy’s institutional framework withstand these pressures? Will civil society be able to resist its colonization by the authoritarian mindset? Can we rebuild a public culture grounded in tolerance, mutual respect, and dialogue? These are the questions that these lectures seek to address.
Prior to the 20th century, the vast majority of people lived under authoritarian kingdoms, states, or empires. Concepts like the consent of the governed, free elections, tolerance, civil rights, and an open public sphere were largely unknown. Democratic values gained ground in the wake of the Second World War, but by 1970 only about 20% of countries could be identified as democracies. Over the next several decades, due in large part to decolonization, democracy became the most common form of government around the globe. However, since the 2010s, democracy has been on the decline. By some measures, authoritarian states have recently regained a slim majority.
At the same time, the boundaries between authoritarianism and democracy have become increasingly blurred. Today, most countries are now classified as either “electoral autocracies” where elections take place but have little meaning or “flawed democracies” where trust in institutions has eroded, power is concentrated in the hands of a few, and civil rights appear increasingly under threat.
The Buenos Aires Mosse Lecture is jointly organized by the Universidad Torcuato di Tella and the Universidad de SanAndrés.
