The authoritarian challenge: liberal thinking on autocracy and international relations, 1930–45

Abstract The return of authoritarian great powers, the slowing democratic wave, and outright reversion to rule pose important questions for international theory. What are implications an system populated with more autocracies? This question was posed by a diverse array social scientists, public intellectuals, policy analysts in response autocratic wave Europe 1920s 1930s. We show that series conversations emanating from quite intellectual priors – Christian realists lawyers disaffected Marxists converged on risks these regimes order they sought forge. These included unconstrained rulers, inability sustain commitments political processes undermined rational deliberation at home spread disinformation abroad. reading this work suggests under-appreciated strand liberal relations theory, debates have direct arguments about peace. Rather than theorizing why democracies avoid war, underscore importance understanding countries particularly prone conflict.