Authoritarian State Case Study

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With Reference to one authoritarian state (China!!). Analyze how Authoritarian leaders secure their grip on power. (15 marks) To successfully establish an Authoritarian State, authoritarian leaders must be able to limit political freedom through suppression of political opponents and intellectual, elimination of political dissents with its own party, and more importantly to gain popular support. In order to understand how Mao consolidate his power in China, one must consider Mao’s consolidation of power through Mao’s creation of the PRC government, political reform of collectivism and the influence of Mao’s ideological goals, the institution of terror and repression, the use of propaganda and imposition of military control. Political reform…show more content…
Through the use of propaganda organized by Lin Biao that projected image of Mao as savior of the nation, Mao is able to elevated his own image to ensure complete obedience and loyalty of the country towards himself. Since Mao’s picture and quotes were everywhere and was eventually published as the “Little Red Book” that every Chinese citizen owned at the time had also helped develop the cult of personality of Mao and allowed Mao to maintain a firm hold of the public, as citizens are told to behave according to the Mao as he is always right . This is important as Even though most people did not understand his ideology, they still believed his was right; where some people even wake up early and bow to Mao’s photo. It is also evident that propagandas were also used to eliminate political dissents through propagandas and official announcement that CCP was infected by revisionism and labelling those who opposed as anti-socialist’s weeds. All of these ensured that the country was working towards a common goal set out by Mao himself and would be complete Loyal to him by ensuring that Mao would be viewed as a “Savior” of the nation and also to ensure that no opposition or doubt was to come under Mao’s rule. The propaganda had therefore played a major role in Mao’s consolidation of power as it is the successful effects of the propagandas that allowed Mao’s thought to become the “official doctrine” of the Party; thereby cementing his authority as the leader of the CCP and therefore consolidating his ultimate position. This is also further strengthened by Mao’s use of PLA army as a mean to strengthen the effect of Propagandas as through conscription of the army, Mao is able to indoctrinate the ideology of the Communists party while training the fighting capacity of PLA member in warfare.

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