The end of the Cold War was marked by the fall of numerous authoritarian regimes that were unable to remain in power when the international liberal mentality prevailed. Despite the expected transition to democracy, some regimes have managed to adapt and maintain their authoritarian character by using fundamental democratic components. This thesis presents the theory of authoritarian regimes and presents an example of modern authoritarianism by analyzing the rule of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. It presents the regimes in the light of the theory of competitive authoritarianism and examines how the Venezuelan government misuses state funds, the budget and institutions as means of fighting the opposition. It also explores which elements in the rule of the Venezuelan president could be considered authoritarian. This thesis notes that due to the escalation of government control, the violation of fundamental liberties, non-compliance with the principle of separation of powers and the intensification of the suppression of the opposition, Venezuela is already showing the first signs of transition to full or classical authoritarianism.
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