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Throughout history, authoritarian leaders have adopted different policies towards religion, from state atheism to drawing support from religion or co-opting religious leaders and institutions. [7] As part of civil society , organized religion serves as a mediator between the state and citizens, even under authoritarian governments. [ 8 ]
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and the rule of law.
The official religion of Nepal was Hinduism but in 2006 Nepal became democratic country and constitution declared it as a Secular state with freedom of religion is guaranteed by Constitution. During the rule of the Monarch, there was democratic rule, and for a brief time, a partyless religious democracy of the Panchayat (Nepal) system.
After a period of sustained expansion throughout the 20th century, liberal democracy became the predominant political system in the world. A liberal democracy may take various constitutional forms: it may be a republic, such as Estonia, Ireland, Germany, and Greece; or a constitutional monarchy, such as the United Kingdom, Japan or Spain.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Soviet Union during the period of Joseph Stalin's rule was a "modern example" of a totalitarian state, being among "the first examples of decentralized or popular totalitarianism, in which the state achieved overwhelming popular support for its leadership."
Having a state religion is not sufficient to mean that a state is a theocracy in the narrow sense of the term. Many countries have a state religion without the government directly deriving its powers from a divine authority or a religious authority which is directly exercising governmental powers.
A 2019 study by Acemoglu and others estimated that countries switching to democratic from authoritarian rule had on average a 20% higher GDP after 25 years than if they had remained authoritarian. The study examined 122 transitions to democracy and 71 transitions to authoritarian rule, occurring from 1960 to 2010. [242]
Some Christian democratic parties, particularly in Europe, no longer emphasize religion and have become much more secular in recent years. [ 256 ] [ 257 ] Recently, many minor Christian democratic parties, such as the Christian Union , and others across Europe, did not feel represented in the existing political establishment, so they formed a ...