A Refutation of The So-called Autocratic Revival

Illiberal states are prone to the problems of corruption, inequality and unaccountability. Slowly but for certain, China’s people are showing little tolerance for these three, paving the way for a more liberal political atmosphere.

It is also important to note that many Chinese youth are flocking into universities in the US and Europe. It may be difficult to qualify the influence that these universities are having on these youth but it would be outright folly to say that they are having no effect on their way of life. In the long run, they will import some but in no small measure essential liberal ideas into the Chinese mainland. And only time will tell how much effect these will have on the nation’s transition into liberal democracy.

In contrast, Russia is proving to be more resilient in staving off the effects of liberal democracy due to more money from its rich oil reserves. Without doubt, “the success of regimes such as those in China and Russia is not a refutation of the liberal vision; the recent success of autocratic states has depended on their access to the international liberal order, and they remain dependent on its success (Deudney and Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2009 Issue, p.79). Through time, Russia will be ripe for the emergence of a strong middle class once the fruits of economic capitalism redound to the general population. And once this comes about, it will demand greater political freedom and participation from its political leaders. Although Russia is still a one-party autocracy at the moment, figures like Garry Kasparov have emerged to contest the grip of Putin on power. In the past, plutocrats awash with wealth from oil were seen as powerful counterfoils against a strong tsarist state. They failed however because they represented a social inequality that Putin was able to take advantage of. However, the seeds of liberal democracy will come about once a strong middle class emerges with the strength to question the Kremlin’s dictates.

Then again, only time will tell.

In conclusion, political theorists that herald the so-called autocratic revival are only able to highlight that Fukuyama’s ‘end of history’ has yet to come into fruition. However, they have been unable to show any inherent weakness in liberal democracy as the end point of man’s ideological progression. It still remains as our best hope towards universal peace. Even though Fukuyama has been proven to be premature in his claim, nonetheless, it cannot be denied that the world is moving towards liberal democracy.

Works Cited

Deudney, Daniel and Ikenberry, G. John. The Myth of the Autocratic Revival. Foreign Affairs. January/February 2009. Volume 88 Number 1

Fukuyama, Francis. The End of History and the Last Man. New York. 1993.