Abstract

This essay reflects on contemporary authoritarianism, regarding the 80 years of the classic book: The fear of freedom, by Erich Fromm. It is argued that the main message of the text maintains its validity by warning about the risks that hang over democracy before the arrival of an authoritarian leader to whom the masses submit in search of protection and meaning, in which the Salvadoran case serves to illustrate submission to populist leaders in Central America. As long as people's dignity is not placed at the center of political concerns, the risk of persisting in the idea of escaping from freedom through authoritarianism will always be a latent possibility.

Keywords: authoritarianism; El Salvador; humanism; freedom; populism.