authoritarian regimes may develop economically as they can "manage" their economies without having to worry about real impacts of their management - just ask any person in China if they are happy with the social engineering that Xi has imposed.
but China is now very like USSR was under Stalin - terrified they will be disappeared into the Lubyanka.
Dictators who thrive under any authoritarian power, given suitable extremes, such as Mussolini, Putin, Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, Mao or Xi... and many more.... and Trump would have become one such, as would Morrison given the way he was conducting his Gov.... are no different whether they originate from right or left side of politics. All authoritarian dictators have risen either through a Populist uprising, hence the majority of dictators have come from the political left, such as Hitler with his false narrative of socialism, or via a coup.
if we value our way of life and social conditions, yes democracy is the best form of Gov..... we just need to remove the partisanship and all people start working together.
