Authoritarian Alliance Theory, Why Democracy is Revolutionary, and How Feudalism Survived

master
dc.abstract.enSince the end of the Cold War, the previously unquestioned supremacy of state sovereignty has started to unravel, with inter-regional organizations and international corporations beginning to exert their own authority in ways that increasingly impact international relations. Democracy is on the retreat as the authoritarian powers of the world cooperate at unprecedented levels to undermine the democratic order and to defend from attempts at democratization. Corporations, too, cooperate with authoritarian leaders to mutually extract gains at the expense of democratic organizations. This study examines the causes of authoritarian cooperation against democratic organizations, the intersection of state and corporate authoritarianism as well as sovereignty, the development of political and corporate democratization philosophies, and how these things are impacting international relations. Qualitative research methods were used, including ethnographic sources and historical case study analysis. Rather than only focusing on historical developments since 1945, this study examines cases from across world history as far back as the advent of agriculture and the rise of the first complex civilizations in order to come to a better understanding of the development of corporate and state power and the evolution of different forms of sovereignty, the development of democratic theories of governance, and the struggle for sovereign supremacy between authoritarian and democratic groups. This study introduces authoritarian alliance theory to explain the close cooperation between authoritarian states and corporate entities in opposition to democratic organizations. Examples of states as actors in authoritarian alliance theory were used to describe how authoritarian states build or co-opt regional institutions to support each other to fend off democratic challenges to their regimes as well as direct bilateral assistance to show that authoritarian alliance theory encompasses many forms of mutual support regardless of geographic proximity. Analysis shows that corporate entities connected to or owned by authoritarian states were shown to undermine democratic institutions, spread corruption, and be used as foreign policy assets by their authoritarian state stakeholders. Democratic ideas and organizations are shown to be an existential threat to authoritarian organizations. It was found that while there was a clear and mature philosophical and political theory capable of justifying democratic principles in politics, historical conditions prevented the export of the democratic revolution to the private economic sector, leading to a dichotomy between democratic political and authoritarian corporate structures that undermines democratic states. Findings suggest that corporate expressions of sovereignty are in truth resurrections of a system of feudalism. These findings suggest that democratic states must first work closely together to defend their democratic governments from authoritarian undermining and that democratic states must begin to more resolutely fund and support democratic movements. Second, democratic states must recognize that in order to mitigate the issues of democratic backsliding, Corporations must be democratized.pl
dc.abstract.plN/Apl
dc.affiliationWydział Studiów Międzynarodowych i Politycznychpl
dc.areaobszar nauk społecznychpl
dc.contributor.advisorLaidler, Paweł - 129851 pl
dc.contributor.authorHardesty, Owen - USOS328891 pl
dc.contributor.departmentbycodeUJK/WSMPpl
dc.contributor.reviewerLaidler, Paweł - 129851 pl
dc.contributor.reviewerGrabowski, Marcin - 148186 pl
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-22T22:39:23Z
dc.date.available2025-10-22T22:39:23Z
dc.date.createdat2025-10-22T22:39:23Zen
dc.date.submitted2025-09-29pl
dc.fieldofstudyInternational Security and Developmentpl
dc.identifier.apddiploma-182182-328891pl
dc.identifier.urihttps://ruj.uj.edu.pl/handle/item/563629
dc.languageengpl
dc.source.integratorfalse
dc.subject.enAuthoritarian alliance theory. Feudalism. Company sovereignty. Corporate Sovereignty. Democracy. Enlightenment. Democratization. Workplace Democracy. Corporations international relations. Non state actors. Enlightenment revolution. Neo-feudalism. New feudalism. Dark Enlightenment. Democratic ideology. Enlightenment ideology. Corporate authoritarianism. Company authoritarianism. Totalitarianism. Company state actors. Expressions of sovereignty. History of political development. Refeudalization.pl
dc.subject.plN/Apl
dc.titleAuthoritarian Alliance Theory, Why Democracy is Revolutionary, and How Feudalism Survivedpl
dc.title.alternativeN/Apl
dc.typemasterpl
dspace.entity.typePublication
dc.abstract.enpl
Since the end of the Cold War, the previously unquestioned supremacy of state sovereignty has started to unravel, with inter-regional organizations and international corporations beginning to exert their own authority in ways that increasingly impact international relations. Democracy is on the retreat as the authoritarian powers of the world cooperate at unprecedented levels to undermine the democratic order and to defend from attempts at democratization. Corporations, too, cooperate with authoritarian leaders to mutually extract gains at the expense of democratic organizations. This study examines the causes of authoritarian cooperation against democratic organizations, the intersection of state and corporate authoritarianism as well as sovereignty, the development of political and corporate democratization philosophies, and how these things are impacting international relations. Qualitative research methods were used, including ethnographic sources and historical case study analysis. Rather than only focusing on historical developments since 1945, this study examines cases from across world history as far back as the advent of agriculture and the rise of the first complex civilizations in order to come to a better understanding of the development of corporate and state power and the evolution of different forms of sovereignty, the development of democratic theories of governance, and the struggle for sovereign supremacy between authoritarian and democratic groups. This study introduces authoritarian alliance theory to explain the close cooperation between authoritarian states and corporate entities in opposition to democratic organizations. Examples of states as actors in authoritarian alliance theory were used to describe how authoritarian states build or co-opt regional institutions to support each other to fend off democratic challenges to their regimes as well as direct bilateral assistance to show that authoritarian alliance theory encompasses many forms of mutual support regardless of geographic proximity. Analysis shows that corporate entities connected to or owned by authoritarian states were shown to undermine democratic institutions, spread corruption, and be used as foreign policy assets by their authoritarian state stakeholders. Democratic ideas and organizations are shown to be an existential threat to authoritarian organizations. It was found that while there was a clear and mature philosophical and political theory capable of justifying democratic principles in politics, historical conditions prevented the export of the democratic revolution to the private economic sector, leading to a dichotomy between democratic political and authoritarian corporate structures that undermines democratic states. Findings suggest that corporate expressions of sovereignty are in truth resurrections of a system of feudalism. These findings suggest that democratic states must first work closely together to defend their democratic governments from authoritarian undermining and that democratic states must begin to more resolutely fund and support democratic movements. Second, democratic states must recognize that in order to mitigate the issues of democratic backsliding, Corporations must be democratized.
dc.abstract.plpl
N/A
dc.affiliationpl
Wydział Studiów Międzynarodowych i Politycznych
dc.areapl
obszar nauk społecznych
dc.contributor.advisorpl
Laidler, Paweł - 129851
dc.contributor.authorpl
Hardesty, Owen - USOS328891
dc.contributor.departmentbycodepl
UJK/WSMP
dc.contributor.reviewerpl
Laidler, Paweł - 129851
dc.contributor.reviewerpl
Grabowski, Marcin - 148186
dc.date.accessioned
2025-10-22T22:39:23Z
dc.date.available
2025-10-22T22:39:23Z
dc.date.createdaten
2025-10-22T22:39:23Z
dc.date.submittedpl
2025-09-29
dc.fieldofstudypl
International Security and Development
dc.identifier.apdpl
diploma-182182-328891
dc.identifier.uri
https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/handle/item/563629
dc.languagepl
eng
dc.source.integrator
false
dc.subject.enpl
Authoritarian alliance theory. Feudalism. Company sovereignty. Corporate Sovereignty. Democracy. Enlightenment. Democratization. Workplace Democracy. Corporations international relations. Non state actors. Enlightenment revolution. Neo-feudalism. New feudalism. Dark Enlightenment. Democratic ideology. Enlightenment ideology. Corporate authoritarianism. Company authoritarianism. Totalitarianism. Company state actors. Expressions of sovereignty. History of political development. Refeudalization.
dc.subject.plpl
N/A
dc.titlepl
Authoritarian Alliance Theory, Why Democracy is Revolutionary, and How Feudalism Survived
dc.title.alternativepl
N/A
dc.typepl
master
dspace.entity.type
Publication
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