Dictatorship
“ | The masses are nothing to me, but a flock of sheep as long as they aren't organized. I'm not against it, I just deny that it can govern itself. | „ |
~ Benito Mussolini |
A dictatorship is a form of government that centers power in a single organ, party or in the hands of just one person that gets called "dictator".
Types
Authoritarianism
Summary
Authoritarianism is when a state in which sovereignty is exercised by a hegemonic party or a dictator.
Features
- It abolishes the rule of law of the principles of legality, thus it violates the freedoms of the human being and acts as a force above the law.
- It limitates the fundamental individual rights: personal freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
- It represses any form of dissent with the prohibition of setting up private associations or organizations, other than those expressly authorized, and the creation of a single party.
- It suppress the trade union freedom.
- It replaces the elected bodies, with bodies nominated by the government.
- It creates a rigid hierarchical system.
Totalitarianism
Summary
Totalitarianism is a type of dictatorship similar to authoritarianism, but it also expands its control in the life of the single individual.
Features
- It concentrates power on an immovable and politically irresponsible oligarchy.
- It imposes an official ideology, such as fascism or communism.
- It has a single mass party in power.
- It controls the forces operating in the state and uses terror.
- It has complete control of communication and information.
- It uses propaganda to plagiarize the mind of the people into thinking their ideology.
Military dictatorship
Summary
A military dictatorship is an authoritarian form of government in which political power is held by the military.
Features
- It is guided by collegiate body.
- The head of state can be a senior officer or supreme commander of the armed forces.
- The dictator pushes a cult of personality to become the emblem of the nation.
- It starts after coup d'etat.
- Very often it has the characteristics of an autocracy.
- It often abandons power only under the pressure of an already ongoing or imminent popular uprising.
- It justifies itself with excuse of protecting the country from dangerous ideologies.
- It applies martial laws.
- It strives to portray civilian politicians as "corrupt" and "incompetent".
Theocracy
Summary
Theocracy is the form of government in which the management of religious and secular governmental activities coincide.
Features
- It has one religion of State.
- Every product that goes against the faith will be banished/censored and its creator will be persecuted.
- Every minority that gets discriminated by the holy book of the official religion will be persecuted.
- It is ruled by two shared heads of State: one is a secular ruler and the other is a religious leader.
- The clergy has direct or undirect control over the government.
- The religions outside of the official religion are banned.
Examples
People
- Abdul Ghani Baradar
- Adolf Hitler
- Alexander Lukashenko
- Alfredo Stroessner
- Ali Khamenei
- Augusto Pinochet
- Bashar al-Assad
- Bazilio Olara-Okello
- Benito Mussolini
- Charles Taylor
- Chiang Kai-shek
- Daniel Ortega
- Denis Sassou Nguesso
- Ferdinand Marcos
- Fidel Castro
- Francisco Franco
- Frank Bainimarama
- François Duvalier
- Gamal Abd el-Nasser
- Gerardo Machado
- Gnassingbé Eyadéma
- Gregorio Álvarez
- Gustavo Rojas Pinilla
- Hafez al-Assad
- Hastings Banda
- Hissène Habré
- Ho Chi Minh
- Hugo Chávez
- Ibrahim Babangida
- Idi Amin Dada
- Ion Antonescu
- Isaias Afewerki
- Jean-Bédel Bokassa
- Jorge Rafael Videla
- Joseph Stalin
- Josip Broz Tito
- Juan María Bordaberry
- Juan Perón
- Kim Il-sung
- Kim Jong-il
- Kim Jong-un
- Kwame Nkrumah
- Luis García Meza
- Manuel Noriega
- Mao Zedong
- Marcos Pérez Jiménez
- Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
- Mengistu Haile Mariam
- Michel Micombero
- Miguel Primo de Rivera
- Mobutu Sese Seko
- Muʿammar Gheddafi
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Nicolae Ceaușescu
- Nicolás Maduro
- Omar al-Bashir
- Pol Pot
- Pope Innocent III
- Rafael Trujillo
- Ranavalona III
- Raoul Cédras
- Robert Mugabe
- Ruhollah Khomeini
- Saddam Hussein
- Salmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd
- Samuel Doe
- Sani Abacha
- Siad Barre
- Slobodan Milošević
- Suharto
- Sukarno
- Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
- Tito Okello
- Viktor Orbán
- Vladimir Lenin
- Vladimir Putin
- Xi Jinping
- Yakubu Gowon
Groups
- Ba'ath Party
- Communist Party of China
- Communist Party of Cuba
- Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
- Communist Party of Kampuchea / Khmer Rouge
- Communist Party of Vietnam
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Congolese Party of Labour
- Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
- Derg
- Falange de las J.O.N.S
- Fidesz
- Hellenic State
- Imperial Japan
- Institutional Revolutionary Party
- Kuomintang
- League of Communists of Yugoslavia
- Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
- MRND
- National Fascist Party
- National Legionary State
- National Party (South Africa)
- National Renewal Alliance
- National Reorganization Process
- Nazi Party
- Parmehutu
- People's Redemption Council
- Polish United Workers' Party
- Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador
- Sandinista National Liberation Front
- Socialist Unity Party of Germany
- Supreme Council of Government
- Taliban
- Ustase
- Workers' Party of Korea
- ZANU-PF