The book by Anatoly Prozorovskiy is dedicated to the experience of modernization and its political support in two Asian countries – Indonesia and South Korea. The book is focused on the role of national political leader and on the phenomenon which is defined as authoritarianism of development. Comparing the two varieties of this type of authoritarianism, the author points to a number of similarities as well as differences determined by the political, socio-economic and cultural specifics of Indonesia and South Korea. In Prozorovskiy’s view authoritarianism may at times demonstrate its efficiency as promoter of modernization. However, precisely because of this it objectively paves the way to its own limitation and, eventually, democratization.