Authoritarian socialism is characterised by the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to the authority of the state at the expense of personal freedom, coupled with an economic system which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole, with the community typically being synonymous with the state.
Authoritarian socialism rejects the liberal concepts such as freedom of assembly, habeas corpus, and freedom of expression, and places an emphasis on heavy industry for development, a single–party system to propel the goals of the state forward, and the extensive use of propaganda to do the same.