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https://theconversation.com/would-you-join-the-resistance-if-stuck-in-an-authoritarian-regime-heres-the-psychology-252533>
"Most of us like to believe we would have opposed the rise of Nazism in 1930s
Germany. We may even like to imagine that we would have bravely fought for the
resistance to Nazism in the 1940s. But would we? Our ability to take a stand
may be put to the test as authoritarianism is increasing worldwide.
All electoral democracies can transform into autocracies. These are governments
that restrict political and civil rights, centralise executive power,
manipulate elections and minimise the diversity of political views.
In western democracies, a move toward autocracy is often led by would-be
strongmen whose focus is to reinstate traditionalist values and nationalism.
They typically target the free media, opponents and stigmatised social groups
without moral compunction.
Moves to deepen autocracy are always resisted, however. Depending on how
autocratic a country is, this resistance will differ. Early in the
autocratisation process, resistance is common within formal state institutions.
It may be expressed in overt actions, including public statements condemning
government actions.
In closed autocracies, however, resistance is exercised more by covert social
movements. One reason for this is the personal risk connected to resistance. In
Vladimir Putin´s autocratic Russia, for example, political dissenters know they
risk being either murdered or imprisoned if they’re caught.
In the United States, on the other hand, where the new administration has taken
steps that increase the level of autocracy, dissonant views may effectively be
silenced because of fear of retribution. Many people are scared of losing their
jobs or having their companies harmed."
Via Muse.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
