The Social Construction of Authoritarian Regimes: Legitimacy, Consensus, and Consent in the 20th Century - Africa and Asia

Twentieth-century dictatorships gain an innovative approach from Brazilian and international experts in *The Social Construction of Authoritarian Regimes*. In the three volumes, divided between Brazil and Latin America; Europe; Asia and Africa, historians and social scientists show how these authoritarian governments of the most diverse ideological persuasions gained support and legitimacy in society. The articles edited by Denise Rollemberg and Samatha Viz Quadrat go beyond recent research by showing how the values of these regimes were already present in society. "We are not denying the resistance, nor are we saying that history is doomed to dictatorships. We are simply dealing with a fact: a century marked by many dictatorships, in different countries and continents, with diverse cultures, traditions, and pasts, which enjoyed the support of society. This is our focus," the organizers explain. European totalitarianism; the advent of the Soviet Union; the cases of Tunisia and São Tomé and Príncipe; the authoritarian regime in China and its social base; despotism and political consensus in Iran; and, of course, the military dictatorships of Latin America, with an emphasis on Brazil, are some of the themes investigated. The analyses are not conducted based on the manipulation, infantilization, and victimization of the masses, incapable of making their own choices; nor exclusively on repression and fear; nor as closed regimes. The authors sought to understand how consensus and consent are built, how relations between state and society are established.