Dictatorship

A dictatorship is a type of government where a single leader, or a group of leaders, hold

almost complete control and power. The politics of a dictatorship are managed by the
dictator, who is aided by a group of elites such as advisers, generals, and high-ranking
officials. The dictator stays in power by suppressing any opposition, which can include
rival political parties, armed resistance, or disloyal members of the inner circle.
Dictatorships can be established either by a military coup or a self-coup in which
elected officials make their rule permanent. Dictatorships are usually authoritarian or
totalitarian, and can be categorized as military dictatorships, one-party dictatorships,
personalist dictatorships, or absolute monarchies.

Dictatorships are often established through military force or through the formation of a
political party. Roughly half of all dictatorships originate from a military coup, while
others start due to foreign interference, elected officials ending competitive elections,
insurgent takeovers, popular uprisings by citizens, or legal maneuvering by autocratic
elites to seize power within their government. Between 1946 and 2010, 42% of
dictatorships began by overthrowing a different dictatorship, and 26% started after
achieving independence from a foreign government. Many others arose following a
period of warlordism.

Types of dictatorships

In 1999, political scientist Barbara Geddes introduced a classification system for

dictatorships based on where power is concentrated. According to this system, there are
three types of dictatorships. Military officers control military dictatorships, one-party
dictatorships are controlled by the leadership of a political party, and personalist
dictatorships are controlled by a single individual. If monarchs hold a significant
amount of political power, monarchies are also considered dictatorships. Regimes that
combine these classifications are known as hybrid dictatorships.

Military Dictatorship:

Military dictatorships are governments in which military officers hold power and
decide who will lead the country. They are common in developing countries in Africa,
Asia, and Latin America. These regimes are typically unstable with an average duration
of five years and often followed by subsequent military coups and dictatorships. The
prominence of military dictatorships decreased during the 1970s and 1980s. Military
coups occur in democracies after their creation but before military reforms. In
oligarchies, the military's strength weighed against the concessions made to it poses a
threat. Factors associated with coups include abundant natural resources, limited
military use internationally, and using the military domestically as an oppressive force.
Military coups do not always lead to dictatorships as power may be passed on to an
individual or democratic elections may take place.

One-party

A one-party dictatorship is a government where a single party dominates politics, with

only the ruling party being legalized. Opposing parties are either banned or have no
power to influence the government. This type of dictatorship is more stable, less prone
to conflict, and sees higher economic growth. Ruling parties allow for a broader
influence on the populace and facilitate a peaceful transfer of power. One-party
dictatorships became prominent in Asia and Eastern Europe during the Cold War and
in several African countries after decolonization. Conflicts may arise in situations where
the party gradually takes power through legal means, while parties that take power
through violence can implement larger changes quickly.

A personalist dictatorship is a regime in which a single individual holds all the power.
Personalist dictators typically favor loyalty over competence and often handpick friends
or family members as elite corps. Due to the lack of accountability and smaller group of
elites, personalist dictatorships are more prone to corruption and repression than other
forms of dictatorship. These regimes have no internal checks and balances and often
collapse with the death of the dictator. Personalist dictatorships are more likely to end
in violence and less likely to democratize than other forms of dictatorship.

Further Reads:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/dictatorship-countries

Further Watch:

1. A secret state: Going inside North Korea (2018)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyugVyGlWTw
2. Top 10 Tyrannical Dictators in Power Today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOxRyamfKqM&t=386s
3. Top 10 Dictatorships CRAZIER than NORTH KOREA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvFkTxrXAH4