Dictatorship

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Dictatorship, in contemporary usage, refers to absolute rule by leadership unrestricted by law, constitutions, or other social and political factors within the state. In Classical usage, dictatorship referred to magistrates in ancient Rome that were allocated absolute power during times of emergency. Their power was neither arbitrary or unaccountable, however, being subject to law and requiring retrospective justification. There were no such dictatorships after the beginning of the second century BCE, and later dictators such as Sulla and the Roman emperors exercised power much more personally and arbitrarily.

Contents

1 Interwar era
2 Postwar era
3 Modern Day Dictatorships
4 See also

Interwar era

In the twentieth century dictatorship has been an essential pillar of single-party states, military regimes, and other authoritarianism regimes.

In the era between the First World War and the Second World War, fascist regimes, such as Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany, incorporated principles of dictatorship with a single-party state, mass mobilization and regimentation of social and economic activity, and arbitrary exercise of police terror by the regime. After 1922, Mussolini fashioned the prototype of the fascist dictatorship in Italy and was emulated in the 1930s by Adolf Hitler in Germany. Fascist dictatorships were dealt a destructive blow by the defeat of the Axis Powers in World War II.

Also during the interwar era, the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin also fused single-party rule, mass mobilization, and police terror with dictatorship under Stalin. For many commentators, the Soviet Union entered a new phase after the abandonment of mass terror on Stalin's death and shifted from being a personal dictatorship to a collective leadership.

Postwar era

In the postwar era dictatorship became a frequent feature of military government, especially in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In the case of many African or Asian former colonies, after achieving their independence in the postwar wave of decolonization, presidential regimes were gradually transformed into personal dictatorships. These regimes often proved unstable, with the personalization of power in the hands of the dictator and his associates making the political syste by posing problems of succession.

Modern Day Dictatorships

Since 2003, Parade Magazine contributing Editor David Wallechinsky has compiled, with the help of organizations including Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International, an annual survey of the world's top 10 dictators, from which this list has been updated. It provides details on the worst excesses of the dictators in question, and is occasionally entertaining, in a sadly twisted kind of way.

"Also off this year’s list are Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi (No. 8 ) and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus (No. 10)—not because they improved but because other dictators have gotten worse."

"The past year was a good one for dictators—unfortunately. None of the most serious offenders lost his job. Competition for the Top 10 Worst of the Worst was so heated that two dictators who made last year’s list were nudged off—Fidel Castro of Cuba and King Mswati III of Swaziland—even though their actions were as harsh as the year before."

[2006 Dictators 1-10] [2006 Dictators 11-20] [2005] [2004] [2003]

Many countries operate under conditions which could easily be considered dictatorial, though obviously no nation declares itself to be a dictatorship. Because of this, it is debatable whether some countries on this list (as well as others such as the Democratic Republic of Congo) are truly dictatorships. Other countries which are absolutist Monarchies might not be considered true dictatorships. The modern day Dictatorship may hold elections on certain dates but the current ruler will almost always be declared the winner with around 100% of the vote. There may also be local officials who are legitimately elected, though generally with the consent of the Dictator.

Dictatorship

Interwar era

Postwar era

Modern Day Dictatorships

See also