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Libertarian authoritarianism
Political spectrum and theory From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Libertarian authoritarianism, or libertarian-authoritarian, is term used to describe a political spectrum and dimension that spans libertarianism, which values freedom, and authoritarianism, which rejects political pluralism. In the 2010s and 2020s, it has been used to describe a dichotomy, political theory, and political formation that merges aspects of both right-libertarianism and authoritarianism. The spectrum is recognized in British politics, and the theory considers American and European politics.
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 | This article may lack focus or may be about more than one topic. In particular, it covers two different definitions of 'libertarian authoritarianism': one as a synthezised political theory, and the other as an ideological spectrum. (March 2025) |
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Political spectrum
In the 1990s, the British Journal of Sociology published research studying left–right and libertarian–authoritarian values, describing them as "two core dimensions of mass political belief", and determining that the spectrum has "for several years formed sections of the British Social Attitude Survey".[1] The European Journal of Political Research also studied the dimension within the United Kingdom, regarding its influence in Conservative Party elections from 1979–1987.[2] In 2005, in asserting that the British electorate has become more libertarian in recent decades, political scientist, James Tilley, described libertarian-authoritarianism as being "two major value dimensions in British politics".[3] In 2021, after Brexit and regarding the perceived rise of populism, Cornell International Affairs Review published research discussing libertarian-authoritarian as a dichotomy within the Conservative Party. The review theorized the utility of further study to determine whether the dichotomy could be "useful in understanding contemporary or historical political realignments".[4]
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Political theory
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Perspective
In 2018, political scientist Wendy Brown, summarized libertarian authoritarianism as "a novel political formation that is an inadvertent effect of neoliberal rationality" within the context of American politics, right-wing populism, and as part of "a further reconfiguration of neoliberalism".[5]
In 2023, the New Statesman described the fundamental basis of libertarian authoritarianism to be based in "post-truth politics", and that in the late-modern era believers validate their opinions "with proto-scientific evidence, rumours, conspiracy theories and fake news". The British magazine described neoliberalism as an additional factor contributing towards the recent rise of the ideology, with modern adherents to the ideology including Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Javier Milei, having merged their libertarianism with their "authoritarian tendencies".[6]
In 2025, Jacobin defined libertarian authoritarians as those who believe in the abolition of the democratic state, on the basis of its restrictions on individual freedoms, and "consider the democratic state itself, the authorities and their regulations, to be invasive and harmful".[7] The theory has also been referenced by the Journal of European Public Policy within the framework of German politics and the COVID-19 protests.[8]
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See also
References
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