Dictatorships are authoritarian or totalitarian and can be classified as military dictatorships, one-party dictatorships, personalist dictatorships, or absolute monarchies. The leader may be supported by a party or military, but still retains the overwhelming majority of power, especially regarding whom to place in which governmental roles, and relies heavily upon their own charisma to maintain control. Examples might include King Cyrus the Great of Persia, who is thought to have created the first declaration of human rights, the Biblical King Solomon, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yue. People living under a dictatorship are often persecuted for unethical reasons, including their religion, sexual orientation, or economic status. Too Much Power. The role of dictator was created for instances when a single leader was needed to command and restore stability. They are ruled by one-party or military dictatorships, religious hierarchies, or autocrats. Here are fifteen of the worst dictators from the 20 th century and what makes them stand out for censure. [106], The nature of dictatorship changed in much of the world at the onset of the 21st century. 1 Norway 2 Iceland 3 Sweden 4 New Zealand 5 Denmark =6 Canada =6 Ireland 8 Australia =9 Switzerland =9 Finland While autocratic countries are not always malevolent, they often still encounter resistance from citizens who would prefer to have a greater say in the government's policy-making process. [32], One-party dictatorships became prominent in Asia and Eastern Europe during the Cold War as communist governments were installed in several countries. Democracy-Dictatorship (DD), index of democracy and dictatorship or simply the DD index or the DD datasets was the binary measure of democracy and dictatorship first proposed by Adam Przeworski et al. Most caudillos came from a military background, and their rule was typically associated with pageantry and glamor. Countries that start with: As of 2020, there are 52 nations with a dictator or authoritarian regime ruling the country: Three in Latin America and South America, 27 in Asia and the Middle East, and 22 in Africa. Some of the principal drivers of indoctrination are mass education policies, propaganda, and censorship. W; Alphabetical list of countries; Alphabetical list of countries. But for today, these are the world's dictatorships. 10. Some have been in power for decades, such as President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial New Guinea. [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. [81] These reforms incorporated totalitarianism, fealty to the state, expansionism, corporatism, and anti-communism. Elites in personalist dictatorships often do not have a professional political career and are unqualified for positions they are given. [44] As a result of authoritarian politics, a series of major issues may ensue. Miguel Daz-Canel, the son of Ral Castro who replaced him as president of Cuba, has kept the dictatorship structure in place that was established by Fidel Castro during the Cuban revolution. Kim Il-Sung The first leader of the North Korean dictatorship from 1948 until 1994, he established North Korea as a communist state. In addition to executive authority, Putin also holds judicial and legislative power, which enables him to change the law to fit his agenda. [127], Indoctrination is the inculcation of citizens on specific values and ideas beneficial to the dictatorships needs and desires. They are more likely to end in violence and less likely to democratize than other forms of dictatorship. [27] One-party rule also developed in several countries in Africa during decolonization in the 1960s and 1970s, some of which produced authoritarian regimes. Imelda Marcos was the wife of Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled over the . [148], Terrorism is less common in dictatorships. This may sound like a contradiction of terms to many people. [9], Gugiu & Centellas developed the Democracy Cluster Classification Index that integrates five democracy indicators (including the DD dataset, Polity dataset), clustering 24 American and 39 European regimes over 30 years.[2]. [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. This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 02:19. [49] In an absolute monarchy, power is limited to the royal family, and legitimacy is established by historical factors. 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. in Turkey, Kamal Pasha, established his dictatorship in 1921 and he remained in power till his death in 1938. This article focuses on the five communist countries that are still adherent to Marxism-Leninism. [1]:71. If you're looking for the names of countries with dictatorship governments then you're in the right place. If the head of state serves for life or is not popularly elected or a fixed term, then the democracy is parliamentary.[1]. [43] This idea references the heavy reliance on repression of the public in order to stay in power, which creates incentives for all constituents to falsify their preferences, which does not allow for the dictator to know the genuine popular beliefs or his realistic measure of societal support. "Tyrants, the World's 20 Worst Living Dictators", by David Wallechinsky, ranked Biya together with three others mainly in sub-Saharan Africa: Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, and King Mswati of Swaziland. [71] The aftermath of World War I resulted in a major shift in European politics, establishing new governments, facilitating internal change in older governments, and redrawing the boundaries between countries, allowing opportunities for these movements to seize power. The Five Kinds of Dictatorship 1. [145] Opposition parties in dictatorships may be restricted by preventing them from campaigning, banning more popular opposition parties, preventing opposition members from forming a party, or requiring that candidates be a member of the ruling party. North Korea - One man Dictatorship 2. In the last six years alone, at least 26 African countries have experienced transfers of power. [37], Personalist dictators typically favor loyalty over competence in their governments and have a general distrust of intelligentsia. [93] Chiang Kai-shek continued to rule as dictator of the National government's rump state in Taiwan until his death in 1975. 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. One person holds all of the country's power. [8]:456, The second distinction made is whether the head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term. [68] The Spanish American wars of independence took place in the early-19th century, creating many new Latin American governments. [90] These new African governments were marked by severe instability, which provided opportunities for regime change and made fair elections a rare occurrence on the continent. Types. Although it is true that some dictators are far more strict and overbearing than others, as a rule, dictatorships tend to result in a loss of personal autonomy, quality of life, and political choice for everyday citizens. What countries are currently ruled by dictatorships? [47] Personalist dictatorships also experience growth differently, as they often lack the institutions or qualified leadership to sustain an economy. Fidel Castro was one of the most iconic latin american dictators, who lived in the 20th century. [88] European fascism was imported to Latin America as well, and the Vargas Era of Brazil was heavily influenced by the corporatism practiced in fascist Italy. Dictators are more likely to implement long-term investments into the country's economy if they feel secure in their power. After authoritarian monarchies, these tend to be the longest-lasting dictatorships, as they can more easily install a new dictator if the existing one leaves office (rare) or dies. If this institution can be effectively controlled by the dictator, it can become avaluable instruments of control over the population. During his reign of terror, about 30,000 Haitians are estimated to have been assassinated, while thousands - mostly intelligence fled the country. Most of them are characterized by a single leader with either no party or one that is weak. Is North Korea a dictatorship? As the Cold War went on, the Soviet Union increased its influence in Africa, and MarxistLeninist dictatorships developed in several African countries. [15] If the dictator has not seized power through a political party, then a party may be formed as a mechanism to reward supporters and to concentrate power in the hands of political allies instead of militant allies. Parliamentary democracy is the same as semi-presidential but has heads of state which are not popularly elected for a fixed term, typically either monarchs or officials not chosen by popular elections. Below are the world's most authoritarian regimes: 21. Preference falsification, Internal politics, data scarcity, and restriction of media are just a few examples of the dangers of a personalistic authoritarian regime. [131] A military coup is often carried out when a regime is threatening the country's stability or during periods of societal unrest. [149] Military and one-party dictatorships are more likely to experience terrorism than personalist dictatorships, as these regimes are under more pressure to undergo institutional change in response to terrorism.[150]. [8]:457 Elected heads of state are usually referred to as "president." [1]:70. To enact policy, a dictator must either appease the regime's elites or attempt to replace them. 2. Democracy is broadly understood to mean 'rule by the people'. The Democracy-Dictatorship Index has the main regime types of "democracy" and "dictatorship" and three sub-types for each as well. The group may be military or political, it may be organized or disorganized, and it may disproportionately represent a certain demographic. [34] When a one-party dictatorship develops gradually through legal means, in can result in conflict between the party organization and the state apparatus and civil service, as the party rules in parallel and increasingly appoints its own members to positions of power. [29][30] The use of ruling parties also provides more legitimacy to its leadership and elites than other forms of dictatorship[31] and facilitates a peaceful transfer of power at the end of a dictator's rule. Synonyms for DICTATORSHIP: tyranny, autocracy, fascism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, despotism, absolutism, autarchy; Antonyms of DICTATORSHIP: democracy . His wealth is estimated to be approximately $600 million. [51] In the modern era, absolute monarchies are most common in the Middle East. The relations between the countries were strained by Soviet attempts to influence Yugoslavia, leading to the TitoStalin split in 1948. Dictatorships have arisen throughout history, usually in times of crisis. In practice, it is often defined as people choosing their leaders in free and fair elections. [102] The stability of the Soviet Union weakened in the 1980s. [84] Other nationalist movements in Europe established dictatorships based on the fascist model. [26] Ruling parties in one-party dictatorships are distinct from political parties that were created to serve a dictator in that the ruling party in a one-party dictatorship permeates every level of society. [41], Personalist dictatorships fit the exact classic stereotype of authoritarian rule. Communist dictatorships in the region aligned with China following the latter's establishment as a communist state. [137] In the 21st century, dictatorships have moved toward greater integration with the global community and increasingly attempt to present themselves as democratic. He responded by ordering the confiscation of food, impossible farming yield quotas, banning private farming for substenance, and introducing internal passports and residency permits, which prevented villagers from seeking food elsewhere. [7] The opposition can be an external group, or it can also include current and former members of the dictator's inner circle. Between 1967 and 1991, 12 Latin American countries underwent at least one military coup, with Haiti and Honduras experiencing three and Bolivia experiencing eight. A semi-presidential (mixed) democracy has a government that needs the majority of support from a legislature to exist and whose head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term. Typically, dictators rise to power when a nation faces significant social issues, such as strong economic crises or unrest among the nation's people. The country is bordered in the northeast by Tunisia, in the east by Libya, in the west by Morocco, in the southwest by Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Mali, in the southeast by Niger, and in the north by the Mediterranean Sea. Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Costa Rica Cte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus It is the seventh largest country in Africa, and is bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean and Luanda is its capital city. [142] 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. [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. [126] Some of the most ruthless examples of repression in recent history were repression by hunger. A Roman dictator was a special magistrate that was temporarily appointed by the consul during times of crisis and granted total executive authority. [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. During the first half of the 20th century, dictatorships took control of a number of technologically advanced countries. It has a population of approximately 31 million people, making it the 42nd most populous country in the world. Nations with a legacy of military dictatorship (s) In Africa Algeria (1965-1994) Burkina Faso (1966-1991) Burundi (1966-1993) Central African Republic (1966-1993) Chad (1975-1991) Congo-Brazzaville (1968-1992) Equatorial Guinea (1968-1982) Ethiopia (1974-1991) Gambia, The (1994-1997) Guinea (1984-1991) Ghana (1966-1969; 1972-1979; 1981-1993) Single-party dictatorships are one-party states in which only the party in power is legalized and all opposition parties are banned. Infiltration involves disseminating individuals loyal to the dictatorship and its ideals across civil society and local community elites. This instability in turn required rulers to become increasingly authoritarian to stay in power, further propagating dictatorship in Africa. If you think that today's world is all about democracy, human rights, and freedoms, you live in a total illusion and you should definitely read our list of 15 countries with dictatorships today. 5. Stability can be weakened when opposition groups grow and unify or when elites are not loyal to the regime. In 1989, the Soviet Union was dissolved, and communism was abandoned by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe through a series of revolutions. [75] Lenin was followed by Joseph Stalin in 1924, who consolidated total power and implemented totalitarian rule by 1929. But for today, these are the world's dictatorships. [144] Since the end of the Cold War, more dictatorships have established "semi-competitive" elections in which opposition is allowed to participate in elections but is not allowed to win, with approximately two-thirds of dictatorships permitting opposition candidates in 2018. Below are 10 African country that are still under dictatorship. The classification depends on the rules outlining the relationship between a country's government, legislative assembly (often called the legislature), and head of state. For dictatorships, monarchic, military and civilian dictatorship. Parties formed after the seizure of power often have little influence and only exist to serve the dictator. A totalitarian government has "total control of mass communications and social and economic organizations". [129], Several factors determine the stability of a dictatorship, and they must maintain some degree of popular support to prevent resistance groups from growing. In some circumstances, monarchies are also considered dictatorships if the monarchs hold a significant amount of political power. [91], The Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, splitting the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek and the People's Republic of China under Mao Zedong. Teodoro Obiang Nguesma Mbasogo overthrew his uncle Macias in 1979 in a bloody coup. Political scientists such as Juan Jos Linz and Samuel P. Huntington identify key attributes that define the power structure of a dictatorship, including a single leader or a small group of leaders, the exercise of power with few limitations, limited political pluralism, and limited mass mobilization. Just like a dictatorship, an autocracy is a government headed by a single ruler (the autocrat) whose decisions are not subject to legal restraints and who exercises unlimited and undisputed power. [10] Political scientist Juan Jos Linz identifies a spectrum of political systems with democracies and totalitarian regimes separated by authoritarian regimes with varied classifications of hybrid systems. Kim Jong-Il (1.6 million deaths) Kim Jong-il in 2010. Dominant-party dictatorships or electoral authoritarian dictatorships are one-party dictatorships in which opposition parties are nominally legal but cannot meaningfully influence government. Also, dictatorships . Elections allow a dictatorship to exercise some control over the opposition by setting the terms under which the opposition challenges the regime. [17] Between 1946 and 2010, 42% of dictatorships began by overthrowing a different dictatorship, and 26% began after achieving independence from a foreign government. ], Based on the regime binary classification idea proposed by Alvarez in 1996,[5] and the Democracy and Development (or DD measure, ACLP dataset) proposed by Przeworski et al. [146], In a dictatorship, violence is used to coerce or repress all opposition to the dictator's rule, and the strength of a dictatorship depends on its use of violence. [100] Josip Broz Tito declared a communist government in Yugoslavia during World War II, which was initially aligned with the Soviet Union. Political participation: 2.22. Nazi and fascist regimes in Europe, Communist single-party states, military juntas in Latin America and . Hybrid dictatorships: What it's like to live under a Dictatorship. [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. [133] A dictator may negotiate the end of a regime if it has lost legitimacy or if a violent removal seems likely. One of its most notable examples was Holodomor, where Joseph Stalin blamed the shortages of grain on "enemies of the state" who hoarded it. Perhaps someday some of these modern dictatorships will cast off their dictators and embrace a more democratic and inclusive form of government. This is thanks to an oil boom that enriched his family at the expense of the Equatorial Guinea citizens. But to understand the dictatorship in Cuba . But for today, these are the world's dictatorships. [126] Four strategies of political control commonly employed by dictatorships are repression, indoctrination, coercive distribution, and infiltration. (2010), Cheibub, Gandhi, and Vreeland developed a six-fold regime classification scheme, resulting what the authors called as the DD datasets. Since the Korean War, North Korea has been ruled by a series of autocratic leaders. [1]:68. [54], Asia saw several military dictatorships during the post-classical era. [123] The form of government does not correlate with the amount of economic growth, and dictatorships on average grow at the same rate as democracies, though dictatorships have been found to have larger fluctuations. [74] The Bolsheviks consolidated power by 1922, forming the Soviet Union. [135] Negotiated removals are more likely to end in democracy, while removals by force are more likely to result in a new dictatorial regime. [78], At the same time, nationalist movements grew throughout Europe. In some cases, nations may have multiple ruling bodies or government types, meaning they're not exclusively countries that are governed by dictatorships. The dictator maintains control by influencing and appeasing the inner circle while repressing any opposition, which may include rival political parties, armed resistance, or disloyal members of the inner circle. [89] Military coups were also a common occurrence after decolonisation, with 14 African countries experiencing at least three successful military coups between 1959 and 2001. On a similar note, a dictatorship's regular citizens have no voice in most matters. [126]This tactic involves policies on land reform, poverty alleviation, public health, housing, education, and employment programs that force citizens to be dependent on the state for relatively adequate living standards. People who are for dictatorship say it provides for a more stable government, helps abolish corruption, and is more efficient in emergencies. Also called a dominant party dictatorship or one-party state. [62][63][64] Maximilien Robespierre has been similarly described as a dictator while he controlled the National Convention in France and carried out the Reign of Terror in 1793 and 1794. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. When necessary, a dictator may also make an effort to replace or amend the nation's constitution to empower, enrich, or otherwise benefit the dictator and his/her allies to a greater degree. When the war ended, these countries were incorporated into the Soviet sphere of influence, and the Soviet Union exercised control over their governments. [107] Dictatorships are often recipients of foreign aid on the condition that they make advances toward democratization.