The dictator has absolute power. To enact policy, a dictator must either appease the regime's elites or attempt to replace them. [57] The rule of a dictator was not necessarily considered tyrannical in Ancient Rome, though it has been described in some accounts as a "temporary tyranny" or an "elective tyranny". [32], One-party dictatorships became prominent in Asia and Eastern Europe during the Cold War as communist governments were installed in several countries. in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University and M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Phoenix. They are often unstable, and the average duration of a military dictatorship is only five years, but they are often followed by additional military coups and military dictatorships. Caudillos were often nominally constrained by a constitution, but the caudillo had the power to draft a new constitution as he wished. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Nicolas Maduro Moros is a Venezuelan politician and has been the president of Venezuela since 2013. Rule by dictators has taken several different forms. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. These dictators may view themselves as impartial in their oversight of a country due to their nonpartisan status, and they may view themselves as "guardians of the state". The economic focus of a dictatorship often depends on the strength of the opposition, as a weaker opposition allows a dictator to extract additional wealth from the economy through corruption. They are not held accountable for their actions and are free to do as they please, even limiting citizens' freedom and rights, including: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Military dictators may also be less trusting or diplomatic and underestimate the use of bargaining and compromise in politics. Direct Democracy Examples in World History | Pros & Cons, What is Constitutional Monarchy? By definition, a dictatorship is an absolute authority in any sphere. [95] A similar phenomenon took place in Korea, where Kim Il-sung created a Soviet-backed communist dictatorship in North Korea[96] and Syngman Rhee created a US-backed nationalist dictatorship in South Korea. [75] Lenin was followed by Joseph Stalin in 1924, who consolidated total power and implemented totalitarian rule by 1929. [134], Most dictatorships hold elections to maintain legitimacy and stability, but these elections are typically uncompetitive and the opposition is not permitted to win. The people do not have any choice with regards to by whom or how their country will be run. A dictatorship is a form of government characterized by the absolute rule of one person or a very small group of people who hold all political power. He can rule on anyone,. The dictatorship is opposed to the democratic system of government. Dictators are usually backed (especially financially) by groups of powerful people. dictatorship, form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations. The 69-year-old leader, who has sought to dispel concerns about his health weeks before a crucial election, has canceled several campaign stops. The two systems, however, may be distinguished in several ways. Rule by dictator. Exceptions to the pattern of poverty in dictatorships include oil-rich Middle Eastern dictatorships and the East Asian Tigers during their periods of dictatorship. Many of the classical conditions of oligarchic rule were found until the 20th century in those parts of Asia in which governing elites were recruited exclusively from a ruling castea hereditary social grouping set apart from the rest of society by religion, kinship, economic status, prestige, and even language. scholarly analysis of Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin and Mao, as well as Kim Il-sung of North Korea; Franois Duvalier, or Papa Doc, of Haiti; Nicolae Ceauescu of Romania; and Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. A dictatorship is a government in which a single person or small group holds all the power, and has absolute authority over politics and the population. Dictatorship means that system of Government which rests on a single person and that is of high authoritarianism. The 20th-century dictatorships in Latin American countries had different aims. Semi-competitive elections also have the effect of incentivizing members of the ruling party to provide better treatment of citizens so they will be chosen as party nominees due to their popularity. Military dictatorships are controlled by military officers, one-party dictatorships are controlled by the leadership of a political party, and personalist dictatorships are controlled by a single individual. In some such countries, elected presidents and prime ministers captured personal power by establishing one-party rule and suppressing the opposition, while in others the army seized power and established military dictatorships. They tended to ally with a particular social class and attempted either to maintain the interests of wealthy and privileged elites or institute far-reaching left-wing social reforms. While a dictatorship is a form of government in some nations, just as monarchy or representative democracy is the form of government in others, dictatorships are seen by non-dictatorships as dangerous and cruel because of the way they tend to treat their citizens. Ancient philosophers descriptions of the tyrannies of Greece and Sicily go far toward characterizing modern dictatorships. [28] Due to the structure of their leadership, one-party dictatorships are significantly less likely to face civil conflict, insurgency, or terrorism than other forms of dictatorship. Secret police are used to gather information about specific political opponents and carry out targeted acts of violence against them, paramilitary forces defend the regime from coups, and formal militaries defend the dictatorship during foreign invasions and major civil conflicts. [17] Between 1946 and 2010, 42% of dictatorships began by overthrowing a different dictatorship, and 26% began after achieving independence from a foreign government. [19], Military dictatorships are regimes in which military officers hold power, determine who will lead the country, and exercise influence over policy. Most caudillos came from a military background, and their rule was typically associated with pageantry and glamor. [105] To maintain power, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet organized Operation Condor with other South American dictators to facilitate cooperation between their respective intelligence agencies and secret police organizations. The Pern regime, for example, was established by nationalistic army officers committed to a program of national reform and ideological goals. With constitutional democracy, it is one of the two chief forms of government in use today. Soviet-type communist dictatorships arose in central and eastern Europe, China, and other countries in the wake of World War II, though most of them (as well as the Soviet Union itself) had collapsed by the last decade of the 20th century. While the term has been used several times throughout history, most common usage of the term is in relation to different types of dictatorships that existed in the 20th and 21st centuries. Kim Jong-un is currently the Supreme Leader of North Korea. D.C.'s favorite parlor game is coming to an end. It often refers to a form of government that has the authority of absolute rule within one person or a structured polity. Although similar in some respects to the dictatorships of the new countries, the caudillos of 19th- and 20th-century Latin America represented a very different type of monocratic rule. 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[5] This is particularly true when the inner circle is made up of military officers that have the resources to carry out a military coup. One moose, two moose. [99] A 1953 coup overseen by the American and British governments restored Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the absolute monarch of Iran, who in turn was overthrown during the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that established Ruhollah Khomeini as the Supreme Leader of Iran under an Islamist government. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. [52], Dictatorship is historically associated with the Ancient Greek concept of tyranny, and several ancient Greek rulers have been described as "tyrants" that are comparable to modern dictators. The term "dictatorship" comes from the Latin word "dictator." The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. A dictatorship is a form of government where one person, or a small group of individuals, can make decisions without effective constitutional limitations. A dictator may address the opposition by repressing it through force, modifying laws to restrict its power, or appeasing it with limited benefits. There are no checks and balances of power that these leaders need to conform to. Updates? Send us feedback about these examples. Single-party dictatorships were most common during the Cold War, with dominant-party dictatorships becoming more common after the fall of the Soviet Union. 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[115], The Middle East and Northern Africa did not undergo liberalization during the third wave of democratisation, and most countries in this region remain dictatorships in the 21st century. Dictatorship or Totalitarianism is a situation where a single person or political party rules the entire country. Dictators usually resort to force or fraud to gain despotic political power, which they maintain through the use of intimidation, terror, and the suppression of basic civil liberties. [108], Dictatorship in Europe largely ended after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the liberalization of most communist states. Dictatorships that fail to repress the opposition are susceptible to collapse through a coup or a revolution. Marxist one-party states are sometimes distinguished from other one-party states, but they function similarly. [117] Generally, two research approaches exist: the minimalist approach, which focuses on whether a country has continued elections that are competitive, and the substantive approach, which expands the concept of democracy to include human rights, freedom of the press, and the rule of law. - Definition, Qualities & Characteristics, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Dictatorship Examples and Characteristics, Introduction to Management: Help & Review, Leadership: Leaders & Their Role in Organizations, Leadership Orientation: Task-Oriented & People-Oriented, The Blake Mouton Managerial Grid: Five Leadership Styles, The Path-Goal Theory and Leadership Styles, Fiedler's Contingency Theory & a Leader's Situational Control, Hersey-Blanchard's Model of Situational Leadership, What is a Dictatorship? [94], Marxist and nationalist movements became popular in Southeast Asia as a response to colonial control and the subsequent Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia, with both ideologies facilitating the creation of dictatorships after World War II. On paper, Russia is a federal democratic state. Of the 197 countries in the world today, approximately 20 are classified as dictatorships, depending upon the source consulted. However, his presidency came under dispute in 2019. For example, in 19th century Latin America, various dictators came into power after central authority collapsed in the nations recently freed from Spanish colonial rule. On average, they last twice as long as military dictatorships, but not as long as one-party dictatorships. The 20th century also saw the rise of personalist dictatorships in Africa and military dictatorships in Latin America, both of which became prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. During the 19th and 20th centuries, many monarchies (a form of dictatorship) started to decline and disappear. [98], One of the tasks in political science is to measure and classify regimes as either democracies or dictatorship (authoritarian) countries. Hours after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaid landed in Miami after being thrown out of Colombia, I talked with him extensively about Colombian President Gustavo Petro's initiative to . Articles on Dictatorship. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini coined the term totalitario in the early 1920s to characterize the new fascist state of Italy, which he further described as "all within the state, none outside the state, none . During times of domestic or foreign crisis, even most constitutional governments have conferred emergency powers on the chief executive, and in some notable cases this provided the opportunity for duly elected leaders to overthrow democracy and rule dictatorially thereafter. Elections allow a dictatorship to exercise some control over the opposition by setting the terms under which the opposition challenges the regime. [42] Within a personalist regime an issue called "The dictators dilemma" arises. The predominance of violent force in military training manifests in an acceptance of violence as a political tool and the ability to organize violence on a large scale. A dictatorship is a form of government in which a person or a small group rules with almost unlimited power. Approximately ten percent of the countries in the world today are considered dictatorships. [56] At least 85 such dictators were chosen over the course of the Roman Republic, the last of which was chosen to wage the Second Punic War. Benefits of Dictatorship. African nations such as Uganda and Zimbabwe; Asian nations such North Korea; Middle Eastern countries including Syria and Iran; South American countries like Venezuela; and a host of other nations throughout the world are recognized dictatorships with varying levels of corruption and brutality. Dictators tend to resort to force or fraud to gain political power. Indeed, the constitutions of some Western democracies explicitly provide for the grant of emergency powers to the executive in a time of crisis to protect the constitutional order. [18], A classification of dictatorships, which began with political scientist Barbara Geddes in 1999, focuses on where power lies. A cult of personality often surrounds a dictator, driven by myths - typically perpetuated by the government-controlled media - about the ruler that are designed to build him up in the minds of the citizens as an all-knowing divine being who is the only one capable of bringing prosperity to the nation. Show question . Modern dictatorships first developed in the 19th century, which included Bonapartism in Europe and caudillos in Latin America. The power structures of dictatorships vary, and different definitions of dictatorship consider different elements of this structure. A dictator that has concentrated significant power is more likely to be exiled, imprisoned, or killed after ouster, and accordingly they are more likely to refuse negotiation and cling to power. Between the 1990s and the 2000s, most dictators moved away from being "larger-than-life figures" that controlled the populace through terror and isolated themselves from the global community. Economies based on natural resources allow dictators more power, as they can easily extract rents without strengthening or cooperating with other institutions. Many personalist regimes will install open ballots to protect their regimes and implement heavy security measures and censorship for those whose personal preferences do not align with the values of the leader. An authoritarian military dictatorship ruled Chile for seventeen years, between 11 September 1973 and 11 March 1990. Be sure to explain the role of the cult of personality and human rights abuses. Dictatorship. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictatorship. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. An error occurred trying to load this video. Military dictatorships are more prone to conflict due to the inherent military strength associated with such a regime, and personalist dictatorships are more prone to conflict due to the weaker institutions to check the dictator's power. [142] The use of violence by a dictator is frequently most severe during the first few years of a dictatorship, because the regime has not yet solidified its rule and more detailed information for targeted coercion is not yet available. Democracy Features & Examples | What is a Democratic Country? [38] Due to the lack of accountability and the smaller group of elites, personalist dictatorships are more prone to corruption than other forms of dictatorship,[39] and they are more repressive than other forms of dictatorship. Human nature being what it is, dictators don't rise to power for the good of their nations (though they usually claim otherwise). In Latin America in the 19th century, various dictators arose after effective central authority had collapsed in the new nations recently freed from Spanish colonial rule. [107] The development of the internet and digital communication in the 21st century have prompted dictatorships to shift from traditional means of control to digital ones, including the use of artificial intelligence to analyze mass communications, internet censorship to restrict the flow of information, and troll farms to manipulate public opinion. Definition of Dictatorship Noun Absolute, imperious, or haughty power or control. [87] Populist movements were strengthened following the economic turmoil of the Great Depression, producing populist dictatorships in several Latin American countries. In oligarchies, the threat of a military coup comes from the strength of the military weighed against the concessions made to the military. ", "The Cromwellian Protectorate: A Military Dictatorship? [2] The inner circle's support is necessary for a dictator's orders to be carried out, causing elites to serve as a check on the dictator's power. [78], At the same time, nationalist movements grew throughout Europe. Organized opposition is a threat to the stability of a dictatorship, as it seeks to undermine public support for the dictator and calls for regime change. Omissions? Dictatorship - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws). Such elites have typically exercised power to maintain the economic and political status quo. Dictators are more likely to implement long-term investments into the country's economy if they feel secure in their power. But monarchs usually inherit their position. In modern times, it's not unusual to hear news stories about dictators being elected by their citizens, when in fact the elections are manipulated through intimidation of voters to ensure the dictator's victory. [114] The countries of Central Asia did not liberalize after the fall of the Soviet Union, instead forming as dictatorships led by former elites of the Communist Party and then later by successive dictators. Example: A dictatorship exists when a leader has absolute power that is unchecked by any other branches of government. [61] In Europe, the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell, formed in 1649 after the Second English Civil War, has been described as a military dictatorship by its contemporary opponents and by some modern academics. Modern dictators, however, resemble ancient tyrants rather than ancient dictators. The famous 19th-century caudillosAntonio Lpez de Santa Anna of Mexico or Juan Manuel de Rosas of Argentina, for examplewere thus essentially provincial leaders who seized control of the national government to maintain the social and economic power of provincial groups. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The term dictatorship comes from the Latin title dictator, which in the Roman Republic designated a temporary magistrate who was granted extraordinary powers in order to deal with state crises. [137] Dictatorships may influence the results of an election through electoral fraud, intimidation or bribing of candidates and voters, use of state resources such as media control, manipulation of electoral laws, restricting who may run as a candidate, or disenfranchising demographics that may oppose the dictatorship. Often, dictators come to power through military coups or by undermining democracy. [73], Dictatorships in Latin America persisted into the 20th century, and further military coups established new regimes, often in the name of nationalism. [37], Personalist dictators typically favor loyalty over competence in their governments and have a general distrust of intelligentsia. Sovereignty Concept & Kinds | What is Sovereignty? In a dictatorial government, power rests with one supreme ruler. A dictatorship is a form of government where one person, or a small group of individuals, can make decisions without effective constitutional limitations. The group may be military or political, it may be organized or disorganized, and it may disproportionately represent a certain demographic. [27] One-party rule also developed in several countries in Africa during decolonization in the 1960s and 1970s, some of which produced authoritarian regimes. - Definition & Examples, Carl Von Clausewitz: Biography, Theory & Quotes, Small Business Project Management: Planning & Tools, Horizontal Expansion in Business: Definition & Examples, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Dictatorships in the Middle East and Northern Africa are either illiberal republics in which a president holds power through unfair elections, or they are absolute monarchies in which power is inherited. Dictators usually come to power through some kind of violent struggle, rather than the peaceful passage of power that we take for granted in the United States. What is a dictatorship? Try not to focus so much on whether you are right or wrong, but rather, ask yourself if the leaders that you put on the list fit the characteristics ascribed to dictators. Create your account. The modern caudillo proved to be less a provincial leader than a national one. Opposing a dictator or disobeying the laws in a dictatorship can be punished with extreme violence and even death. A dictatorship is a type of government in which a single personthe dictatoror party has absolute power. In a dictatorship, the dictator has absolute power. However, over the years, these governments evolved into national leaders and were put in their position of power by nationalistic military officers. [124], Several factors determine the stability of a dictatorship, and they must maintain some degree of popular support to prevent resistance groups from growing. The crucial elements of both were the identification of the state with a single mass party and of the party with its charismatic leader, the use of an official ideology to legitimize and maintain the regime, the use of terror and propaganda to suppress dissent and stifle opposition, and the use of modern science and technology to control the economy and individual behaviour. [13] After power is seized, the group must determine what positions its members will hold in the new government and how this government will operate, sometimes resulting in disagreements that split the group. Theocracy Overview & Examples | What is Theocracy? Leslie Beecher has been in the field of education for over 15 years serving as a tutor, teacher and instructional designer. In the Aristotelian classification of government, there were two forms of rule by the few: aristocracy and its debased form, oligarchy. [1] A dictatorship that is ruled by soldiers is called a military dictatorship or junta. Personalist dictators may be members of the military or leaders of a political party, but neither the military nor the party exercises power independently from the dictator. It is an authoritarian form of government where one person is in charge of enforcing and enacting the law. [6], The opposition to a dictatorship represents all of the factions that are not part of the dictatorship and anyone that does not support the regime. More complex economies require additional cooperation between the dictator and other groups. But in a modern-day dictatorship government, one person (or a small group of individuals) has complete control over the government regardless of whether there is a state of emergency or not. [128] A dictator may negotiate the end of a regime if it has lost legitimacy or if a violent removal seems likely. [87], The decolonisation of Africa prompted the creation of new governments, many of which became dictatorships in the 1960s and 1970s. Dictators use psychological manipulation, imprisonment, torture and murder to intimidate the citizens into complete obedience. Mao established the People's Republic of China as a one-party communist state under his governing ideology of Maoism. During this time, the country was ruled by a military junta headed by General Augusto . Absolute monarchs (kings) are another type of ruler with unlimited power. [73], The first communist state was created by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks with the establishment of Soviet Russia during the Russian Revolution in 1917. Dictatorships frequently hold elections in order to establish their legitimacy or provide incentives to members of the ruling party, but these elections are not competitive for the opposition. [125] One-party dictatorships are generally more stable and last longer than military or personalist dictatorships. Preference falsification, Internal politics, data scarcity, and restriction of media are just a few examples of the dangers of a personalistic authoritarian regime. Dictatorships can be formed by a military coup that overthrows the previous government through force or they can be formed by a self-coup in which elected leaders make their rule permanent. It either lies with a single person or a small group of people. Corrections? Once in power, the dictators will use fear and violence to stay in office and suppress any opposition. Elites in personalist dictatorships often do not have a professional political career and are unqualified for positions they are given. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [74] The Bolsheviks consolidated power by 1922, forming the Soviet Union. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke out in support of the Israeli judicial reform protests in a video that was screened at the anti-judicial reform demonstrations in Tel Aviv on Saturday .
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