A meeting of the Russian State Duma
Authoritarianism is a form of government characterized by strong central power and limited political freedoms, with leaders not being held accountable to a constitution and citizens subordinating their freedoms to the state. According to Juan Linz, authoritarianism is characterized by limited political pluralism, the identification of the regime as a "necessary evil" to fight problems such as underdevelopment or insurgency, minimal social mobilization, and vague and shifting powers.
Examples of authoritarian governments include most absolute monarchies from Ancient Egypt to 19th-century German Empire, paternal autocracies in interwar Europe as well as military juntas like Chile under Augusto Pinochet, or Egypt under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The difference between authoritarianism and totalitarianism is that in an authoritarian regime there is the possibility of living one's life peacefully and avoiding politics altogether, while in a totalitarian regime everybody is forced to participate in government's activities in some way.