and following from this, one might say that an authoritarian figure is someone who feels that the entire country is a child that they feel responsible for as a kind of parent, and the citizens are just being unruly because they don't know what's good for them. an overly authoritarian approach might result in the opposite of what one hopes for (rebellion and chaos instead of safety), but there's also the option of extreme application of authority, to quench the revolt, and rule with an iron fist.