James Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in Democracies

They really view their history as one of victimization, one of struggle and even martyrdom. ARENA had multiple leaders assassinated. Again, that version of history that I just told you, that's not necessarily my view. But I do actually believe that that is their sincere belief and it makes for a really compelling founding myth if you will. And I think that founding myth has helped to hold both parties together right up until the present day.James LoxtonA full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Key Highlights IncludeWhy do voters elect leaders with ties to former dictators?Description of authoritarian successor partiesChallenges for conservative party formationA brief history of the UDI in Chile and ARENA in El SalvadorThe role of counterrevolutionary struggleKey LinksConservative Party-Building in Latin America: Authoritarian Inheritance and Counterrevolutionary Struggle by James Loxton"Authoritarian Successor Parties" by James Loxton in Journal of Democracy, July 2015Visit James at www.jamesloxton.netRelated ContentBryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic RegimesAmy Erica Smith on Politics and Religion in BrazilMore from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicDemocracy Matters PodcastEmail the show at [email protected] me on Twitter @DemParadox100 Books on DemocracySupport the show