Authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and their variations

Authoritarianism

Authoritarianism is a political system where power is concentrated in the hands of a leader or a small elite that is not constitutionally responsible to the body of the people.
Typically, authoritarian regimes maintain power through control of the media, lack of political pluralism, and repressing criticism or opposition.
Authoritarian leaders often exercise power arbitrarily and without regard for existing bodies of law. They often bypass or control the legislative and judicial branches of government.
The rights of individuals and groups, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press, are often suppressed in authoritarian regimes.
Authoritarianism does not necessarily involve a guiding ideology and leaders may base their rule purely on pragmatic considerations.

Types of Authoritarianism

Military Dictatorship

In a military dictatorship, the military holds the power. Usually, a committee of senior officers or a single high-ranking officer, like a general, holds the power.
These systems often arise in times of emergency or perceived crisis, such as in the face of foreign threat, internal disorder, or political deadlock.

Autocracy

Autocracy is a form of authoritarianism where a single person holds supreme power. This could be a king, queen, emperor, dictator, or president.
An autocratic leader has unrestricted political power over the sovereign state and its people.

Despotism

Despotism is a form of government where a single entity rules with absolute power. Typically, this power is exercised by a leader who holds absolute power without the constraint of laws, constitutions, or other social and political factors within the state.

Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a political system where the state strives for total control over all aspects of public and private life and ideas.
It is an extreme version of authoritarianism, characterized by absolute or centralized control over every aspect of life, the prohibition of political pluralism, and no limits on the authority of the state.
Unlike authoritarianism, totalitarianism does involve a guiding ideology and seeks not only to control power, but also to transform society and the nature of the individual in accordance with this ideology.
Propaganda is widely used in totalitarian states to manipulate public opinion and suppress dissent.
Examples of totalitarian regimes include Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and Soviet Russia under Joseph Stalin.

Again, it is important to understand that these structures can present variations and combine with other forms of government, shaping unique political scenarios in different countries.