Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Why Do Voters Elect Authoritarian Leaders?: Competitive Authoritarianism under Hugo Chávez Público Deposited
- Abstract
Authoritarian leaders are able to assume and sustain power via a wide array of mechanisms that
typically entail a large degree of coercion and manipulation. Although the question of
authoritarianism and how it manifests itself is an important one with critical implications in the
modern world, there is perhaps an even more fascinating question, that asks how leaders with
authoritarian tendencies are able to harness public support and get elected through electoral
processes. This thesis aims to present potential explanations as to why voters elect authoritarian
leaders, with a focus on Hugo Ch.vez, former president of Venezuela. For the entirety of
Ch.vez’s time in office, he was able to maintain strong popular support despite policies that
mirrored those of some of the most autocratic leaders in history, including extensive media
censorship, nationalization of some of the most prominent industries in the country, and the
complete political upheaval of judicial entities (to name a few examples.) Still, Ch.vez was able
to continue appealing to large swaths of the Venezuelan populace up until his untimely death in
2013. This paper will analyze two possible sources of Ch.vez’s popularity: his appeals to
populism and his anti-West rhetoric. Both categories will guide my hypotheses and ultimately
elucidate the phenomenon of competitive authoritarianism, and why and how it has gained
prominence, specifically in last two centuries.
- Creator
- Date Awarded
- 2022-04-07
- Academic Affiliation
- Advisor
- Committee Member
- Granting Institution
- Publisher
- Última modificación
- 2022-05-16
- Resource Type
- Declaración de derechos
- Language
Relaciones
- En Collection:
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Undergraduate_Honors_Thesis__Defense_Copy_Final__D._Schinagel.pdf | 2022-04-08 | Público | Descargar |