NON-DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS: TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

While studying political systems nowadays, science usually considers the characteristics of the democratic systems and the systems that transit from non-democratic to democratic. The overall impression is that very little attention is paid to studying the characteristics and the types of non-democratic systems. Such neglect of the characteristics and types of non-democratic systems contributes to the general public ignoring the danger of the rise of such systems. The rise of non-democratic systems in the last two decades in the world is evident and therefore it is important that the basic characteristics and types of non-democratic regimes are clearly elaborated. In that direction, this paper aims to define non-democratic systems, make a clear distinction between totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, and elaborate on the different types of authoritarian regimes. The paper also analyzes the rise of hybrid regimes and their difference from classic authoritarian regimes. Through such an elaboration of the non-democratic systems, the paper concludes that the non-democratic systems possess characteristics and values that are not compatible with the rule of law and the protection of human freedoms and rights, and therefore their progress represents a global threat and danger.