The authors deal with comparative aspects of contemporary authoritarianism. Authoritarianism tendencies have appeared in several "old democracies" but their main successes take place in several states which departed from dictatorial regimes recently. The book contains case-studies of contemporary Hungarian, Kenyan, Polish, Russian and Turkish regimes.

From the editor / Jerzy J. Wiatr -- Populism, right-wing extremism and neo-nationalism / Klaus von Beyme -- A conceptual history of political regimes: democracy, dictatorship, and authoritarianism / Adam Przeworski -- Some of the foremost challenges to the status quo / Zygmunt Bauman -- The massive exchange of elites as a mean of formation of the authoritarian regime / Janusz Reykowski -- The rise of populist electoral authoritarianism in Turkey: a case of culturally rooted recidivism / Ilter Turan -- Opposition as a mirage of political field in Russia / Nataliya Velikaya -- From Horthy to Orbn: neo-authoritarianism in Hungary / Hans-Georg Heinrich -- Authoritarianism with the electoral face in Africa / Peter Anyang' Nyong'o -- Authoritarian tendencies in the Polish political system / Jerzy Jaskiernia -- New and old authoritarianism in a comparative perspective / Jerzy J. Wiatr -- Index -- List of contributors.