What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to understand how Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian regime consolidates power during crises.

March 29, 2026Open Access

John Polga-Hecimovich and Raul Sanchez Urribarri, Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis. New York, NY, USA: Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro – Routledge, 2025.

Key Points

The aim is to understand how Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian regime consolidates power during crises.
Examines domestic and international factors affecting Maduro's regime.
Analyzes strategies like coup-proofing and electoral legitimacy.
Discusses the role of judicial manipulation and information control.
Explores alliances with other authoritarian states and their support mechanisms.
Demonstrates that authoritarian regimes can survive and adapt during crises.
Highlights the use of legal and illegal strategies to maintain control.
Finds that internal and external factors work together to bolster Maduro's government.

Abstract

One of the most significant challenges in political science today is understanding how authoritarian regimes maintain their power.Venezuela is a striking example: Nicols Maduro's government has persisted, despite a historic economic collapse, massive protests, and intense international pressure.The volume Authoritarian Consolidation in Times of Crisis: Venezuela under Nicols Maduro, edited by John Polga-Hecimovich and Ral Snchez-Urribarri (2025), examines this puzzle with an innovative approach.It extends beyond the usual focus on democratic erosion, instead turning to the consolidation of authoritarian rule.This term refers to the process by which regimes consolidate their power bases to ensure survival.The central thesis is that Venezuela shows how, even during protracted crises, authoritarian governments not only survive but also expand and adapt their control mechanisms.As such, the book is an essential contribution to the study of comparative authoritarianism.It offers insights that go beyond Venezuela, enriching debates on the evolution of autocracies and power dynamics in authoritarian regimes.The volume is organized into two thematic sections: domestic factors and international dynamics.The first part (Chapters 2-9) examines the inner pillars that support Madurismo.It discusses strategies such as coup-proofing to ensure military loyalty and utilizing elections to legitimize power.It analyzes the rise of authoritarian capitalism, which promotes the co-optation of political actors.It covers how the judiciary is manipulated to serve executive interests.Other chapters explore how information is controlled and review criminal governance, which means criminal groups, in coordination with the state, regulate community life to manage territories and suppress social threats.The second part (Chapters 10-15) discusses the international aspects of Maduro's regime.Contributors analyze Venezuela's alliances with authoritarian states like Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and Cuba.These countries provide financial, technological, and diplomatic support.The book also reviews the use of political dialogue as a stalling tactic and explores how mass migration acts as a safety valve.The Venezuelan diaspora is analyzed as serving a dual function: undermining internal opposition while simultaneously generating international visibility.A unified theoretical framework binds the book.This framework, introduced early and revisited in the conclusion, encompasses four levels of authoritarian consolidation: avoiding breakdown, avoiding liberalization, completing authoritarianism, and deepening authoritarianism.Together, the chapters provide a comprehensive review of Venezuela's experience.

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