Rising Authoritarianism: The Crippling Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic provides unprecedented situations and challenges for the world on multiple levels. The structures and functioning of various institutions in society are questioned as the world looks to them for assistance and support. Governments under such situations are given new and increased powers to efficiently combat the myriad of problems faced by them. The problem, however, lies in the fact that large amounts of power, uncertain situations and unrest among the world population in the past have given way to autocratic leaders manipulating and consolidating their powers. The establishment of various autocratic states is owed to situations of widespread social and political unrest. In the modern world, under the situations of the pandemic, various states are showing similar authoritarian traits. Powers secured under the pandemic are being misused by leaders and governments to establish conditions favourable to them, often damaging the institution of democracy in their nation. Hungary appears to be one such nation where the government has taken a large number of decisions in the pandemic, in an arguably non-democratic manner. This paper aims to analyse the rise of authoritarianism in the world today and the role played by the pandemic in the same.