The Authoritarian culture and the development process of political democratization in Latin America

Qiao He, Ph.D., Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Abstract

Latin American democracy has emerged from scratch over the past century, and today it is characterized by the increasingly obvious development of illiberal democracy, with the label of "illiberal democracy" interpreting the non-traditional nature of this democracy and the uncertainty of its future development. This article elaborates from the perspective of authoritarian culture, reviews the imprints and manifestations of authoritarian culture at different stages of the democratization process in Latin America, analyzes the authoritarian cultural factors that have shaped the state of "illiberal democracy" in Latin America today, and concludes and reflects on the future development of democracy in Latin America.