A dictatorship is a form of government characterized by a single leader (dictator) or group of leaders that hold government power promised to the people and little or no toleration for political pluralism or independent media. As democracy is a form of government in which “those who govern are selected through periodically contested elections (in years)”, dictatorships are not democracies.

 In a dictatorship, the dictator has absolute power. They are not held accountable for their actions and are free to do as they please, even limiting citizens’ freedom and rights, including:

  • Free speech
  • Freedom of religion

With the advent of the 19th and 20th centuries, dictatorships and constitutional democracies emerged as the world’s two major forms of government, gradually eliminating monarchies with significant political power, the most widespread form of government in the pre-industrial era. Typically, in a dictatorial regime, the leader of the country is identified with the title of dictator; although, their formal title may more closely resemble something similar to leader.

A common aspect that characterized dictatorship is taking advantage of their strong personality, usually by suppressing freedom of thought and speech of the masses, in order to maintain complete political and social supremacy and stability. Dictatorships and totalitarian societies generally employ political propaganda to decrease the influence of proponents of alternative governing systems.

What kinds of dictatorships are there?

All dictatorships are based on similar principles, although several types have been differentiated throughout history. Let’s get to know them.

1. Military dictatorship

photo credit

This type of dictatorship is one in which the power and authority of the government are concentrated in an officer or group of officers of the high military spheres. In this way, they are the ones who decide who will take the reins of the State, influencing politics in a total way. Normally, those who assume the leadership of the country in this type of government are those who have been senior commanders in the army.

There are many countries in the world that have been or are under the rule of dictatorships of this type. Examples are Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Pakistan, and even the United States. In Argentina a military dictatorship was established that lasted from 1976 to 1983, with Jorge Videla as president

2. Authoritarian dictatorship

Authoritarian dictatorships, also known as personalist dictatorships, are one of the most prevalent types. In them, a single individual presents himself as the leader who takes control of the country. This may come from the armed forces or from a political party.

In addition, this form of government can start from any political party or ideology. Dictatorships of this type differ from others in that, apparently, they are more fragile, since the dictator does not have great institutional or group support, since he acts in a much more solitary and autonomous way.

The circle of support is usually made up of family and friends, whom the dictator arbitrarily assigns to different positions of importance. This means that the members of the government are not true professionals, since their merit to be elected has been to be loyal, not competent.

For this reason, the government team is usually poorly trained to face the challenges that are presented to it. The dictator tries to buy out his closest allies and makes sure that they cannot organize against him.

Authoritarian dictatorships are those that carry the most severe consequences for the people, since they allow to exercise power and repression over citizens without any type of restriction, destroying the economic resources of the country and drastically stopping its growth.

In the worst cases, the authoritarian dictator can start wars at will. Furthermore, despite its apparent fragility because it depends on a single leader, its average duration exceeds that of other types of dictatorships.

An example of this type of regime can be the dictatorship that Fidel Castro carried out in Cuba, since with his rise to power he has committed assassinations, caused exiles and carried out severe human rights violations.

3. Totalitarian dictatorship

In a certain way, this type of dictatorship is characterized by being the opposite of the previous one. Far from being a lonely leader, the dictator in this case comes to power supported by the masses. In this case, the person who concentrates power defends at all costs a thought or ideology that has the approval of the population.

This type of rulers often resort to populist speeches to win the sympathy of the people, showing themselves as key figures to achieve what the people want. One of the most illustrative examples of what a totalitarian dictatorship is we find in Nazi Germany and in its leader, Adolf Hitler. If we look for current examples, this profile also fits the People’s Republic of China, chaired by Xi Jinping.

4. Constitutional dictatorship

A constitutional dictatorship is one in which, within certain parameters, the provisions of the country’s Constitution are respected. The power in this case is concentrated in an individual or a small group of people, who are divided between the judicial, executive and legislative power. In other words, there is no separation of powers. It is possible that there is only a single political party in the regime.

In these dictatorships, what is known as constitutional fraud occurs. This means that, although apparently the principles of the rule of law are respected, basically this is not the case at all. An example of constitutional fraud is what is known as electoral fraud, a procedure by which deliberately interferes in the electoral process with the aim of altering the will of the voters. Many consider the one led by Hugo Chávez in Venezuela as an example of this type of dictatorship.

5. Monarchical dictatorship

A monarchical dictatorship is one in which a person seizes the government of the country by inheritance, thus going on to hold all the authorities and powers. This type of dictatorship happens in Saudi Arabia, where a single family, the royal family, is the one that maintains control of the country for generations.

What is the characteristics of dictatorship ?

photo credit

1. No Genuine Constitution.

The dictators do not consider constitutional rights and assume mi ±e powers in the government. There is no freedom of speech and expression. People are not supposed to disagree with the government. All the decisions are taken by a. few powerful individuals and everybody is expected to follow them.

2. Monopolization of Power.

In a dictatorship, all the powers are vested in a single person or in a group of people. They direct all the policies and programs for society. Views, interests, and opinions of the masses are not, generally considered.

3. Complete Control over the Propaganda Machinery

Dictators do not allow mass media to discuss ideas that would go against the government. They allow no freedom of speech, expression, thought and strict censorship is exercised over the media.

Source : en.wikipedia.org , studynlearn.com, enorcerna.com