It is possible that the next economic downturn--or stock market crash--will bring on further developments. During the recession at the end of the 1980s, ex- Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke gathered strong support from disgruntled citizens in Louisiana for his gubernatorial and US Senate races. Voters did not seem to be bothered by his record, which included plenty of statements like: "The Jews have been working against our national interest. I think they should be punished." Bertram Gross and Kevin Phillips had each foreseen part of a process that engendered remarkable tolerance for authoritarian political solutions. Gross correctly identified the kind of authority that the corporate world wanted to exercise over working- and middle-class Americans. Phillips was perceptive about the way ordinary Americans would participate in actually constructing a more harsh and restrictive social milieu. By the 1990s the two strands were coalescing into something we could call "Authoritarian Democracy." Today it is clear that the goals of the corporate rich can be furthered by the enthusiasms of the popular classes, especially in the realms of religion.Steve Brouwer
About This Quote
Authoritarian democracy is the name of the recent electoral successes of far-right movements that can be characterized by submissiveness to authority, hostility towards minorities, racism and anti-immigration. Authoritarian democracy is a term coined by Bertram Gross and Kevin Phillips which described the political movement in the United States during the 1990s where many people wanted to create a more authoritarian country. The original definition of Authoritarian Democracy was created by Bertram Gross and Kevin Phillips in their book "The Emerging Republican Majority" in 1992. The authors were describing the political situation in the United States at the time of President George H.W. Bush's reelection campaign in 1992.
They explained that they are not describing "right wing extremism" but rather "a genuine mass movement with distinct, identifiable ideas that appeal to millions." They felt that there were three different groups within America that wanted to make America into an authoritarian government: 1) The Corporate Liberal Establishment 2) White working class people who were the most harmed by globalization 3) Religious conservatives who have been hurt by secular liberalism The Corporate Liberal Establishment was considered as wanting to protect their own power and money, they support an economic system which was based on free trade and global capitalism. Despite being rich, they felt cheated because they are made to feel like inferiors because they are not able to have complete control over American politics which were being dominated by corporations. They thought that only they would be able to control America's economy through tariffs and regulations which will benefit their banks and corporations rather than Americans. The white working class people wanted to stop globalization because it has made them lose their jobs and many people believe that it has also caused unemployment among black and Hispanic people as well as the loss of their homes and other property.
Many people argue that globalization has harmed these groups because these groups don't have enough education to adapt themselves with changing society such as new laws like NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). These groups believe that globalization has caused unemployment among these groups as well as causing them to loose their homes and other property due to financial crisis such as housing crisis. Religious conservatives wanted an authoritarian government because they believed that secular liberalism was hurting them which is why under secular liberalism religious conservatives become marginalized and abused by society. Secular Liberals believe that religion should be separated from public life for fear of religious fanatics influencing society without proper control from public officials.
Religious conservatives do not want this since it will infringe on their freedom of religion which is
Source: Sharing The Pie : A Citizens Guide To Wealth And Power
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