1. The incremental and progressive restriction of democratic freedoms, civil liberties, and institutional checks and balances by those in power, often implemented through seemingly minor legal or administrative changes that accumulate over time to establish authoritarian control
The political scientists warned that the new restrictions on press freedom represented a dangerous case of gradual authoritarianism.
Os cientistas políticos alertaram que as novas restrições à liberdade de imprensa representavam um perigoso caso de autoritarismo gradual.
2. A strategy of normalization whereby authoritarian measures become institutionalized through incremental steps, making each individual change appear moderate while the cumulative effect establishes autocratic governance
Historians pointed to the government's use of gradual authoritarianism to consolidate power without triggering immediate public resistance.
Historiadores apontaram para o uso do autoritarismo gradual pelo governo para consolidar o poder sem provocar resistência pública imediata.