Authoritarianism, Democratization, and Military Centrality

From the discussion in the previous chapters we can conclude that, if a government is able to deliver material goods, it can at least temporarily gain support and prevent economic deprivation. But legitimacy is not only materially defined. Political deprivation arises from a lack of meaningful participation in making political decisions, whether this participation is prevented by law or through repression. In effect, a constant and frequent use of repression indicates lack of legitimacy and political capacity (Jackman 1993). Efficient repression may prolong authoritarian rule, as demonstrated for example by Augusto Pinochet’s Chile and Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s Malawi, but eventually the people are likely to challenge the regime from a ‘desperate bargainer’ position. Democratic regimes do not guarantee the absence of conflict, but since they are likely to be more widely accepted, expressions of discontent are not aimed at challenging their basic tenets. Large-scale conflict and humanitarian emergencies are virtually non-existent in democratic societies.