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GerhardBesier,
H
owtoexplainwhydictatorshipsaresofascinating
?R
evisiting...
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mobilizepeople,buttoprivatizethemandkeepthemoutsideofcentresofpolitical
power.Hewritesthatauthoritarianrule“doesnotevenpossessamechanismtocon-
trolcorruptionwhichmayinfactofenbethebasisofitsstability.”71
SinceNeumann,sreflectionsfrom1962youwillfindonlylittleprogressionincon-
ceptualizingdictatorships.TisistrueevenforWolfgangMerkel,sconcepthepresent-
edin2003.Hefindsthatalltotalitarianismparadigmsuntiltodaylackanempirical
investigationwhichcouldguaranteeatrulyprecise,operationalcriteriatobeputat
one,sdisposal,accordingtowhichitwouldbepossibletoidentifytotalitarianregimes
intheirrespectivetimesandplacesaswellastodiferentiatethemfromautocratic
formsofrule72.Heundertakesthetaskofpresentingageneraltypologyofpolitical
systemsonthebasisofconsistentcriteria,whichallowsforaclassificationoftotalitar-
ian,authoritariananddemocraticregimes.
Howaretheperspectives?
Forfutureresearchitmightbeimportanttotakeintoaccountthedispositionofhu-
manbeingsandtoexaminethebeliefsystemstothepointhowcompatibletheyare
withthenaturalmindset73.Tenewdisciplineneuro-historygivessomehintshow
humanbeingsarefunctioningandtowhichextenttheyareinfluencedbyborderli-
nesituations.Neuro-Scientists,Socialpsychologistsandhistoriansdiscoveredthat
“completelyordinarypeople”couldbehavelikebeastsunderrealorexperimentalcon-
ditions.Tesituationactivatedimpulsesthatcausedeachpersontotakeonacertain
role.Notonly“perpetrators”
,butalso“helpers”wererewardedfortheirbehaviourin
certainsituations.Inviewofsuchfindings,oneshouldabandoncertainideological
componentsofhumanbehaviourandformulateAnthropologythattakesintoaccount
humanmotivationandbehaviouraldispositions.Moreover,legitimizingofsomewhat
shapedworldviewsbyauthorities,re-interpretingthevaluesystemsandpreparedness
forobedienceseemtobeimportantfactorsinchallengingthedemocraticparadigm.
71S.Neumann,TowardaTeoryofTotalitarianism,p.42.
72W
.Merkel,TotalitarianRegimes,in:Europe,sCenturyofDiscontent.TeLegaciesofFascism,Nazismand
Communism,S.Avineri,Z.Sternhall(eds.),Jerusalem2003,pp.151–166.
73Cf.G.Besier,TäterundOpfer,ZuschauerundOpponenten–ÜbermenschlichesVerhalteninGrenzsituationen,
TD4,2007,pp.375–389;idem,PassenwirzuunserentradiertenMenschenbildernundWeltanschauungen?
PsychologischeundbiologischeErkenntnissealsDeutungshorizontfürAlternativen,„KirchlicheZeitgeschichte/
ContemporaryChurchHistory”
,22,2009,pp.66–115.
