Military dictatorship

A military dictatorship, also known as a military junta, is a dictatorship in which the military exerts
complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military
officer.

The reverse situation is to have a strong civilian control of the military.

Occasionally military dictatorship is called khakistocracy.[1][2][3] The term is a portmanteau word

combining kakistocracy with khaki, the tan-green camouflage colour used in most modern army uniforms.

Contents
Creation and evolution
Justification
Current cases
Past cases
Africa
America
Asia
Europe
Oceania
See also
References

Creation and evolution

Most military dictatorships are formed after a coup d'état has overthrown the previous government.

Military dictatorships may gradually restore significant components of civilian government while the senior
military commander still maintains executive political power. In Pakistan, ruling Generals Muhammad Zia-
ul-Haq (1977–1988) and Pervez Musharraf (1999–2008) have held referendums to elect themselves
President of Pakistan for additional terms forbidden by the constitution.

Justification
In the past, military juntas have justified their rule as a way of bringing political stability for the nation or
rescuing it from the threat of "dangerous ideologies". For example, the threat of communism, socialism, and
Islamism was often used. Military regimes tend to portray themselves as non-partisan, as a "neutral" party
that can provide interim leadership in times of turmoil, and also tend to portray civilian politicians as corrupt
and ineffective. One of the almost universal characteristics of a military government is the institution of
martial law or a permanent state of emergency.
A military dictatorship is different from civilian dictatorship for a number of reasons: their motivations for
seizing power, the institutions through which they organize their rule and the ways in which they leave
power. Often viewing itself as saving the nation from the corrupt or myopic civilian politicians, a military
dictatorship justifies its position as "neutral" arbiters on the basis of their membership within the armed
forces. For example, many juntas adopt titles such as "Committee of National Restoration", or "National
Liberation Committee". Military leaders often rule as a junta, selecting one of themselves as a head.[4]

Current cases
Country Past government Date adopted Event
Sudan Federal dominant-party presidential republic April 11, 2019 2019 Sudanese coup d'état

Past cases

Africa
1. Algeria (1965–1976; 1992–1994; 2019)
2. Benin (1963–1964; 1965–1968; 1969–1970; 1972–
1975)
3. Burkina Faso (1966–1980; 1980-1982; 1982-1983;
1983-1987; 1987-2014)
4. Burundi (1966–1974; 1976–1979; 1987–1992)
5. Central African Republic (1966–1979; 1981–1986;
2003–2005; 2013–2014) Mengistu Haile Mariam, Aman Mikael
6. Chad (1975–1979; 1982–1990) Andom and Atnafu Abate, leaders of
7. Ciskei (1990–1994) the Ethiopian military junta
8. Comoros (1999–2002)
9. Democratic Republic of the Congo (1965–1997)
10. Republic of the Congo (1968–1969; 1977–1979)
11. Côte d'Ivoire (1999–2000)
12. Egypt (1953–1956; 1981-2011; 2011–2012; 2013-present)
13. Equatorial Guinea (1979–1992)
14. Ethiopia (1974–1987)
15. The Gambia (1994–1996)
16. Ghana (1966–1969; 1972–1975; 1975–1979; 1981–1993)
17. Guinea (1984–1990; 2008–2010)
18. Guinea-Bissau (1980–1984; 1999; 2003; April 12, 2012 –
May 11, 2012)
19. Lesotho (1986–1993, 2014)
20. Liberia (1980–1986, 1990–1997, 2003–2006)
21. Libya (1969–1977; 1977–2011)
Zairean President Mobutu
22. Madagascar (1972–1976) Sese Seko
23. Mali (1968–1992; March 21, 2012 – April 12, 2012)
24. Mauritania (1978–1979; 1979–1992; 2005–2007; 2008–2009)
25. Niger (1974–1989; 1996; 1999; 2010–2011)
26. Nigeria (1966; 1966–1975; 1975–1976; 1976-1979; 1983–1985; 1985–1993; 1993–1998;
1998–1999)
27. Rwanda (1973–1975)
28. São Tomé and Príncipe (1995; 2003)
29. Sierra Leone (1967–1968; 1992–1996; 1997–1998)
30. Somalia (1969–1976; 1980–1991)
31. Sudan (1958–1964; 1969–1971; 1985–1986; 1989–1993; 2019–present)
32. Togo (1967–1979)
33. Transkei (1987–1994)
34. Tunisia (1987–2011)
35. Uganda (1971–1979; 1985–1986)
36. Venda (1990–1994)
37. Zimbabwe (2017–2018)

America
1. Argentina (1835-1852;1930–1932; 1943–1946; 1955–1958;
1966–1973; 1976–1983)
2. Bolivia (1839–1843; 1848; 1857–1861; 1861; 1864–1872;
1876–1879; 1899; 1920–1921; 1930–1931; 1936–1940; 1943–
1946; 1951–1952; 1964–1969; 1969–1979; 1980–1982)
3. Brazil (1889–1894; 1930; 1964–1985)
4. Chile (1924–1925; 1925; 1927–1931; 1932; 1973–1990)
5. Colombia (1854; 1953–1958)
6. Costa Rica (1868–1870; 1876–1882; 1917–1919)
7. Cuba (1933; 1952–1959)
8. Dominican Republic (1899; 1930–1961; 1963–1966)
Manuel Noriega of Panama
9. Ecuador (1876–1883; 1935–1938; 1947; 1963–1966; 1972–
1979; 2000)
10. El Salvador (1885–1911; 1931–1982)
11. Guatemala (1931–1944; 1944–1945; 1954–1957; 1957–
1966; 1970–1986)
12. Grenada (1983)
13. Haiti (1950–1956; 1956–1957; 1986–1990; 1991–1994)
14. Honduras (1933–1949; 1956–1957; 1963–1971; 1972–1982;
2009–2010)
15. Mexico (1835–1846; 1876–1880; 1884–1911; 1913–1914)
16. Nicaragua (1937–1979)
17. Panama (1903–1904; 1968–1989)
18. Paraguay (1940–1948; 1954–1989)
Paraguay's President
19. Peru (1842–1844; 1865–1867; 1872; 1879–1881; 1914–
Alfredo Stroessner
1915; 1930–1939; 1948–1956; 1962–1963; 1968–1980; 1992–
2000)
20. Suriname (1980–1991)
21. Uruguay (1865–1868; 1876–1879; 1933–1938; 1973–1985)
22. Venezuela (1858–1859; 1859–1861; 1861–1863; 1908–1935; 1948–1958)
Asia
1. Afghanistan (1978–1986)
2. Bangladesh (1975–1981; 1982–1990)
3. Brunei (1962)
4. Burma (Myanmar) (1962–1988; 1988–2011)
5. Khmer Republic (1970–1975)
6. Indonesia (1967–1998)
7. Iran (1953–1957; 1978–1979)
8. Iraq (1933–1935; 1936; 1937–1938; 1941; 1949–1950;
1952–1953; 1958–1963; 1963–1979)
9. Japan (1185–1868; 1931–1945)
Thailand's Prime Minister
10. South Korea (1170–1270; 1961–1963; 1980) Prayut Chan-o-cha in 2014
11. Kingdom of Laos (1959–1960; 1964)
12. Maldives (1988–1989)
13. Pakistan (1958–1969; 1969–1971; 1977–1988; 1999–2008)
14. Philippines (1898, 1972–1981)
15. Syria (1949; 1951–1954; 1961–1972)
16. Taiwan (1949–1975)
17. Thailand (1933; 1947–1957; 1959–1963; 1963–1973; 1977–
1979; 2006–2008; 2014–2019)
18. South Vietnam (1963–1967)
19. North Yemen (1962–1967; 1974–1977; 1977–1978; 1978;
1978–1982)
20. Turkey (1913–1918; 1921–1927; 1960–1961; 1980–1983)

Chinese Nationalist leader

Europe Chiang Kai-shek in 1940

1. Bulgaria (1923–1926; 1934–1935; 1944–1946)

2. Cyprus (1974)
3. United Kingdom (1653–1659)
4. France (1804–1814; 1852–1870; 1870–1871)
5. Georgia (1992)
6. German Empire (1916–1918)
7. Greece (1925–1926; 1967–1974)
8. Poland (1926–1935, and after his death to 1939; 1981–1983)
9. Portugal (1926–1933
10. Romania (1941–1944)
11. Russia (1918–1920)
12. San Marino (1957) Spanish leader Francisco
13. Spain (1923–1930; 1936–1975) Franco in 1975
14. Ukraine (1918)

Oceania
 1. Fiji (1987–1999; 2006–2014)

See also
Civilian control of the military
Military rule (disambiguation)
Stratocracy
Films depicting Latin American military dictatorships
Military junta
List of political leaders who held active military ranks in office

References
1. Dave Gilson (2003-02-02). "Freed from a prison of thought in Nigeria" (http://www.sfgate.com/c
gi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/02/RV71558.DTL). SFGate. Retrieved
2007-12-15.
2. Ikhenemho Okomilo (2005-06-10). "Another October, More Khakistocracy" (http://www.nigerian
sinamerica.com/articles/751/1/Letter-From-London-Another-October-More-Khakistocracy/Page
1.html). Nigerians in America. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
3. temporal (2007-08-07). "Khakistocracy: Military-Industrial-Feudal Complex in Pakistan" (https://
web.archive.org/web/20101121223517/http://desicritics.org/2007/08/07/031115.php).
Desicritics. Archived from the original (http://desicritics.org/2007/08/07/031115.php) on 2010-
11-21. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
4. Cheibub, José Antonio; Jennifer Gandhi; James Raymond Vreeland (April 1, 2010).
"Democracy and dictatorship revisited". Public Choice. 143 (1–2): 67–101.
doi:10.1007/s11127-009-9491-2 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11127-009-9491-2). ISSN 0048-
5829 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0048-5829).

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