Mass Dictatorship

Jie‑Hyun Lim's Mass Dictatorship project explores the phenomenon of large‑scale dictatorships in the twentieth century, arguing that many modern authoritarian regimes combine mass mobilization with dictatorial rule.

Through multi‑volume scholarship and edited collections, Lim analyzes the social, political, and cultural mechanisms that sustain such regimes across different national contexts.

He positions mass dictatorship as a concept that complicates the simple dictatorship–democracy dichotomy by highlighting how elements of popular support and mass participation can coexist with repression.

The work has been revisited in light of contemporary political shifts and neopopulist trends, prompting Lim to produce a new book for general readers titled Mass Dictatorship: Janus‑Faced Democracy.

The series is interdisciplinary, drawing on history, political theory, and memory studies to assess the dangers of authoritarian tendencies within democratic frameworks.