Anti-authoritarianism is opposition to authoritarianism, which is defined as "concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people" or the doctrine that advocates such absolutism in rule, as in autocracy, despotism, dictatorship, and totalitarianism. [1] [2] The term anti-authoritarianism is typically extended to include a rejection of all forms of political, social, and economic coercion.
Anti-authoritarian was also the name given to the anarchists inside the First International (IWA) who opposed the Communists. They were excluded from the IWA after the 1872 Hague Congress. Anti-authoritarianism is associated with Punk rock and other similar genres of music. The people who were part of this musical movement believed that no one person or establishment could hold back their rights and freedoms.