“The conditions in which authoritarian states emerged were mainly determined by economic factors.” Discuss with reference to two authoritarian states.

Candidates will offer a considered and balanced review of the hypothesis that economic factors were the most significant determinant of the conditions in which authoritarian states emerged. While the focus of the response must be within the timeframe of this topic, the emergence of the two selected states does not need to be contemporaneous. Candidates must address the role of economic factors and consider the ways in which they affected the conditions in which authoritarian states emerged. Candidates may also consider other factors that had an impact on those conditions, for example, the social structure or the political organization of the states. Each state may be considered separately or a thematic approach may be used where candidates wish to compare the relative importance of economic and other factors for each state.