[17] Between 1946 and 2010, 42% of dictatorships began by overthrowing a different dictatorship, and 26% began after achieving independence from a foreign government. Among the 10 dictatorship countries profiled, poverty is endemic. Early African dictatorships were primarily personalist socialist dictatorships, in which a single socialist would take power instead of a ruling party. [111][112][113] Latin America saw a period of liberalization similar to that of Europe at the end of the Cold War, with Cuba being the only Latin American country that did not experience any degree of liberalization between 1992 and 2010. [67] In Europe it was often thought of in terms of Bonapartism and Caesarism, with the former describing the military rule of Napoleon and the latter describing the imperial rule of Napoleon III in the vein of Julius Caesar. Indeed, the 20th century, which witnessed the careers of Atatrk, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Francisco Franco, Mao Tse-tung, Juan Pern, Tito, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Sukarno, Kwame Nkrumah, and Charles de Gaulle, could appear in history as the age of plebiscitary dictatorship. During the first half of the 20th century, dictatorships took control of a number of technologically advanced countries. "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. [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. The terms "autocrat" and "autocracy" are often used interchangeably with "dictator" and "dictatorship". The number of countries ruled by military dictatorships began to fall sharply after the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s. Dictatorships have arisen throughout history, usually in times of crisis. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) Pol Pot (1925-1998) Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945) Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) Idi Amin (1952-2003) Is Venezuela a dictatorship? [23] Military coups do not necessarily result in military dictatorships, as power may then be passed to an individual or the military may allow democratic elections to take place. 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. The Soviet Union occupied nationalist dictatorships in the east and replaced them with communist dictatorships, while others established liberal democratic governments in the Western Bloc. [98], One of the tasks in political science is to measure and classify regimes as either democracies or dictatorship (authoritarian) countries. Democracies can be either parliamentary, semi-presidential, or presidential and dictatorships can be civilian, military, or royal. But for today, these are the world's dictatorships. [72] The societal upheaval caused by World War I and the unstable peace it produced further contributed to instability that benefited extremist movements and rallied support for their causes. Over the course of almost 20 years, he ruled Chile with an iron fist, ordering the deaths of thousands of suspected . If this institution can be effectively controlled by the dictator, it can become avaluable instruments of control over the population. Teodoro Obiang Nguesma Mbasogo overthrew his uncle Macias in 1979 in a bloody coup. Other countries with dictatorships and authoritarian rule, such as Cuba, Syria, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Belarus, could also be considered totalitarian governments. A dictatorship is an authoritarian structure of government. Interestingly, most modern dictatorships do not use the term "dictator" to. Single-party dictatorships: 5. [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. Despite repeated promises to leave office in 2024 (when his term limit is reached), Putin spearheaded a 2020 constitutional amendment enabling him to remain in power until 2036. One of its most notable examples was Holodomor, where Joseph Stalin blamed the shortages of grain on "enemies of the state" who hoarded it. 5. The exclave province of Cabinda has borders with the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reading Time: 4 minutes. The type of dictatorship a country is ruled by typically comes down to the methods the dictator used to obtain power and how they go about maintaining it. Click to visit dictatorship | Definition, Characteristics, Countries [118] Generally, two research approaches exist: the minimalist approach, which focuses on whether a country has continued elections that are competitive, and the substantive approach, which expands the concept of democracy to include human rights, freedom of the press, and the rule of law. Personalist dictatorships are more common in Sub-Saharan Africa due to less established institutions in the region. The term dictatorship originates from its use in the Roman Republic. [114] The countries of Central Asia did not liberalize after the fall of the Soviet Union, instead forming as dictatorships led by former elites of the Communist Party and then later by successive dictators. [134] Revolution takes place when the opposition group grows large enough that elites in the regime cannot suppress it or choose not to. [59] Shoguns were de facto military dictators in Japan beginning in 1185 and continuing for over six hundred years. [108], Dictatorship in Europe largely ended after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the liberalization of most communist states. A dictator has the ability to make decisions that will have an impact on the people in many ways, and the worse part is, the people do not consent to being ruled. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator.Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by the dictator and facilitated through an inner circle of elites that include advisers, generals, and other high-ranking officials. (2010), Cheibub, Gandhi, and Vreeland developed a six-fold regime classification scheme, resulting what the authors called as the DD datasets. If the head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term then, the democracy is mixed or semi-presidential. 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) Some of the most famous dictators in history include, of course, Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Nazi Germany from 1933-1945, Benito Mussolini, ruler of fascist Italy from 1922-1945, and Joseph Stalin,. What countries are currently ruled by dictatorships? [8]:457, The DD dataset is limited to 199 countries after 1946, whereas Boix, Miller, & Rosato, 2013 proposed a data set from 1800 to 2007, covering 219 countries. Adolf Hitler - 1889-1945. [92] Deng Xiaoping took power as the de facto leader of China after Mao's death and implemented reforms to restore stability following the Cultural Revolution and reestablish free market economics. Preference falsification, Internal politics, data scarcity, and restriction of media are just a few examples of the dangers of a personalistic authoritarian regime. Some have been in power for decades, such as President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial New Guinea. They are in civil war, but the dictator is. Dictatorships seem much more extreme and unethical to people who enjoy the privilege of an outside perspective. Duterte is the perfect example of a . [8]:456. Parties formed after the seizure of power often have little influence and only exist to serve the dictator. [138] A study found that dictatorships that engage in oil drilling are more likely to remain in power, with 70.63% of the dictators who engage in oil drilling still being in power after 5 years of dictatorship, while only 59.92% of the non-oil producing dictators survive the first 5 years. Brion Donal Cinhil Urien Haldane, 25th king of Gwynedd, reigned 1095 to 1120. [148], Institutions that coerce the opposition through the use of violence may serve different roles or they may be used to counterbalance one another in order to prevent one institution from becoming too powerful. As the dictatorship becomes more established, it moves away from violence by resorting to the use of other coercive measures, such as restricting people's access to information and tracking the political opposition. Photo: Lars Klove. Dictatorships can be formed by a military coup that overthrows the previous government through force or by a self-coup in which elected leaders make their rule permanent. The power structures of dictatorships vary, and different definitions of dictatorship consider different elements of this structure. (Dictator of Italy and Principal Founder of Fascism Who Was Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 to 1943.) Various forms of dictatorship have been a context in which social and behavioral sciences (SBS) have been developing through most of the twentieth century. This violence is frequently exercised through institutions such as military or police forces. Given the degree of censorship and control China's government leverages over its citizens, most political experts would call it a dictatorship. He was also ranked 19th in Parade Magazine's Top 20 list of "The World's Worst Dictators". Here is a list of the ten worst dictators that Africans have ever seen in their history. [35][36] These dictatorships often emerge either from loosely organized seizures of power, giving the leader opportunity to consolidate power, or from democratically elected leaders in countries with weak institutions, giving the leader opportunity to change the constitution. [137] In the 21st century, dictatorships have moved toward greater integration with the global community and increasingly attempt to present themselves as democratic. Kim Jong-Il (1.6 million deaths) Kim Jong-il in 2010. Many of these governments fell under the control of caudillos, or personalist dictators. The Five Kinds of Dictatorship 1. Giving ultimate power and control to just one person is not ideal, as it can lead to future unrest and problems. [145] Dictatorships may hold semi-competitive elections to qualify for foreign aid, to demonstrate a dictator's control over the government, or to incentivize the party to expand its information-gathering capacity, particularly at the local level. [1][8]:454 It is important to note that these names do not have to correspond to the official or colloquial titles of any of the countries offices. In fact, you may devise any chart you like concerning politics or anything else and label left and right however you choose. Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located within South Asia and Central Asia. [49] In an absolute monarchy, power is limited to the royal family, and legitimacy is established by historical factors. Many countries which are seen as otherwise democratic are dictatorships because there has yet to be an alternation in power since their incumbent government has never lost an election. The rights of the people are typically suppressed in a dictatorship, sometimes to a great degree. Donal Blaine Aidan Cinhil Haldane, 24th king of Gwynedd, reigned 1074 to 1095. [73] During World War II, Italy and Germany occupied several countries in Europe, imposing fascist puppet states upon many of the countries that they invaded. If the head of state serves for life or is not popularly elected or a fixed term, then the democracy is parliamentary.[1]. Today, there are only five communist states, some of which are struggling to hold on to communism. [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. In military dictatorships, it is the military that exerts complete or substantial control over the government rather than a political clique. Nigeria - 1966 to 1975 - Yakubu Gowon. 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. 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. Military dictatorships are more prone to conflict due to the inherent military strength associated with such a regime, and personalist dictatorships are more prone to conflict due to the weaker institutions to check the dictator's power. [101] Albania was established as a communist dictatorship under Enver Hoxha in 1944. During his reign of terror, about 30,000 Haitians are estimated to have been assassinated, while thousands - mostly intelligence fled the country. 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. This is thanks to an oil boom that enriched his family at the expense of the Equatorial Guinea citizens. The Democracy-Dictatorship Index has the main regime types of "democracy" and "dictatorship" and three sub-types for each as well. In democracies, the threat of a military coup is associated with the period immediately after a democracy's creation but prior to large-scale military reforms. Its purpose is to collect information, mobilize society, and induce compliance with the dictatorships directives. Though the most recent data set is only updated for 2008, there is planning by Cheibub to update it to the . The legislature must be popularly elected. Infiltration involves disseminating individuals loyal to the dictatorship and its ideals across civil society and local community elites. These dictators may view themselves as impartial in their oversight of a country due to their nonpartisan status, and they may view themselves as "guardians of the state". 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. Dictatorships suffer from an obvious and significant imbalance of power. Through the ages, Algeria, officially People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. [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. [31], Personalist dictatorships are regimes in which all power lies in the hands of a single individual. Democracy is broadly understood to mean 'rule by the people'. Exceptions to the pattern of poverty in dictatorships include oil-rich Middle Eastern dictatorships and the East Asian Tigers during their periods of dictatorship. The Portuguese were present in some mostly coastal points of the territory of what is now Angola from the 16th century, interacting in diverse ways with the peoples who lived there. 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. The Soviet economy became unsustainable, and communist governments lost the support of intellectuals. [103], Military dictatorships remained prominent in Latin America during the Cold War, though the number of coups declined starting in the 1980s. [13] After power is seized, the group must determine what positions its members will hold in the new government and how this government will operate, sometimes resulting in disagreements that split the group. [126] Four strategies of political control commonly employed by dictatorships are repression, indoctrination, coercive distribution, and infiltration. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini in Italy , from 1943 to 1945. They are often characterized by their use of violence and repression to maintain power. [86] After a brief period of democratization, Latin America underwent a rapid transition toward dictatorship in the 1930s. Due to it, the countries went towards dictatorship. [103] Belarus under the rule of Alexander Lukashenko has been described as "the last European dictatorship",[109][110] though the rule of Vladimir Putin in Russia has also been described as a dictatorship. The name a democracy gives itself or its office does not indicate what type of democracy it is. This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 02:19. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Personalist regimes diverge from other regimes when it comes to their longevity, methods of breakdown, levels of corruption, and proneness to conflicts. While Latin America, Asia, and Africa were already dictatorship countries, they differed from the dictatorships formed in what became known as the Eastern Bloc. In Germany, the head of state is elected by regional legislatures and not popularly elected. "[6], For a regime to be considered as a democracy by the DD scheme, it must meet the requirement of four rules below:[1]:69[3], Some regimes may meet the first three rules, but lack an alternation in power in its historical past; these regimes are classified as dictatorships because of cases where the incumbent only allows elections as long as they keep winning, and would refuse to step down if they lost. [54], Asia saw several military dictatorships during the post-classical era. Perhaps someday some of these modern dictatorships will cast off their dictators and embrace a more democratic and inclusive form of government. [1]:71. Hybrid dictatorships are regimes that have a combination of these classifications. 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. Democracy-Dictatorship (DD),[1] index of democracy and dictatorship[2] or simply the DD index[3] or the DD datasets was the binary measure of democracy and dictatorship first proposed by Adam Przeworski et al. There's no room for opposition or . [73], Dictatorships in Latin America persisted into the 20th century, and further military coups established new regimes, often in the name of nationalism. [68] The Spanish American wars of independence took place in the early-19th century, creating many new Latin American governments. Many others developed following a period of warlordism. Myanmar has been thrown into the darkness of the military dictatorship once again as this morning, the military junta arrested "The daughter of democracy" Aung San Suu Kyi and reinstated the military rule. Monarchies may be dynastic, in which the royal family serves as a ruling institution similar to a political party in a one-party state, or they may be non-dynastic, in which the monarch rules independently of the royal family as a personalist dictator. There are many countries that can be considered dictatorships, including North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. Modern Dictatorship Countries. People living under a dictatorship are often persecuted for unethical reasons, including their religion, sexual orientation, or economic status. The dictatorship was revived 120 years later by Sulla after his crushing of a populist movement, and 33 years after that by Julius Caesar. 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. In oligarchies, the threat of a military coup comes from the strength of the military weighed against the concessions made to the military. The methodology is derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regardless of geopolitical, geographic, ethnic or religious considerations. They differ from other forms of dictatorships in that the dictator has greater access to key political positions and the government's treasury, and they are more commonly subject to the discretion of the dictator. List of Cons of Dictatorships. Economies based on natural resources allow dictators more power, as they can easily extract rents without strengthening or cooperating with other institutions. Marxist one-party states are sometimes distinguished from other one-party states, but they function similarly. To enact policy, a dictator must either appease the regime's elites or attempt to replace them. North Korea - One man Dictatorship 2. [64][65][66], Dictatorship developed as a major form of government in the 19th century, though the concept was not universally seen pejoratively at the time, with both a tyrannical concept and a quasi-constitutional concept of dictatorship understood to exist. [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. Some of the most famous dictators in history include Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein. These nationalist movements supported non-alignment, keeping most Middle Eastern dictatorships out of the American and Soviet spheres of influence. Below are the world's most authoritarian regimes: 21. Binary measure of democracy and dictatorship, Six-fold regime classification scheme and its rules, Comparison with other democracy-measuring data sets, Studies in Comparative International Development, "Minimalist Conception of Democracy: A Defense", Przeworski, Alvarez, Cheibub, and Limongi: Democracy and development, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Democracy-Dictatorship_Index&oldid=1141715357, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from February 2023, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0.