Difference between revisions of "Dictatorship"
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A '''Dictatorship''' is a type of government ruled by one person who is either self appointed or uses a lesser elected position to claim greater power. | A '''Dictatorship''' is a type of government ruled by one person, who is either self-appointed or uses a lesser elected position to claim greater power. | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
The term is taken from a Roman title, Dictator, that was often given to a military leader who served as supreme commander of forces in the | The term is taken from a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] title, ''Dictator'', that was often given to a military leader who served as supreme commander of forces in the Roman [[Republic]], usually only appointed during a time of war. This precedent changed with the appointment of Julius Caesar as "dictator for life" by the Roman Senate before he was assassinated by members of the same body. | ||
A dictatorship is often also an [[Empire]], but they are not always interchangeable. Often a dictatorship will try to put up the front of a representative-type of government, using the term "republic" when referring to itself. Dictatorships can rise in a variety of ways, including a military figure seizing control in a coup d'état, a legitimately elected leader declaring absolute power, or a leader using an emergency to declare martial law and then never rescending the emergency powers. "Banana Republic" is a slang term for many small dictatorships that arose in tropical areas like the Caribbean. | |||
Because of the ease with which one dictator can be overthrown by another, many Dictators are very paranoid, leading to bloody purges of potential rivals. | |||
How a dictatorship is managed can vary widely, from having the dictator micromanage everything himself to being run by an inner circle of loyal followers to having all of the trappings of fully functional republic (with the dictator always having the final say on political matters). | |||
Dictatorships are very common, and the ease with which they can come into power means that many countries (modern and ancient) could be classified as dictatorships. | |||
== Historical Examples == | |||
===Dictators=== | |||
* Julius Caeser | * Julius Caeser | ||
* Saddam Hussein | * Saddam Hussein | ||
| Line 17: | Line 20: | ||
* Ferdinand Marcos | * Ferdinand Marcos | ||
* Benito Mussolini | * Benito Mussolini | ||
* Kim Jong Un | |||
* Vladimir Putin | |||
Dictatorships | ===Dictatorships=== | ||
* [[Nazi Germany]] | * [[Nazi Germany]] | ||
* North Korea | |||
* North Korea | |||
* Republic of Iraq | * Republic of Iraq | ||
* Republic of the Philippines | * Republic of the Philippines | ||
| Line 29: | Line 32: | ||
== Fictional Examples == | == Fictional Examples == | ||
* [[Dominion]] ([[Star Trek]]) | * [[Dominion]] ([[Star Trek]]) | ||
* [[Galactic Empire]] ([[Star Wars]]) | * [[Galactic Empire]] ([[Star Wars]]) | ||
* [[Earth Alliance]] (under President Clark) [[Babylon 5]] | |||
[[Category: Politics]] | [[Category: Politics]] | ||
[[Category: History]] | [[Category: History]] | ||
Latest revision as of 02:51, 25 February 2024
A Dictatorship is a type of government ruled by one person, who is either self-appointed or uses a lesser elected position to claim greater power.
History
The term is taken from a Roman title, Dictator, that was often given to a military leader who served as supreme commander of forces in the Roman Republic, usually only appointed during a time of war. This precedent changed with the appointment of Julius Caesar as "dictator for life" by the Roman Senate before he was assassinated by members of the same body.
A dictatorship is often also an Empire, but they are not always interchangeable. Often a dictatorship will try to put up the front of a representative-type of government, using the term "republic" when referring to itself. Dictatorships can rise in a variety of ways, including a military figure seizing control in a coup d'état, a legitimately elected leader declaring absolute power, or a leader using an emergency to declare martial law and then never rescending the emergency powers. "Banana Republic" is a slang term for many small dictatorships that arose in tropical areas like the Caribbean.
Because of the ease with which one dictator can be overthrown by another, many Dictators are very paranoid, leading to bloody purges of potential rivals.
How a dictatorship is managed can vary widely, from having the dictator micromanage everything himself to being run by an inner circle of loyal followers to having all of the trappings of fully functional republic (with the dictator always having the final say on political matters).
Dictatorships are very common, and the ease with which they can come into power means that many countries (modern and ancient) could be classified as dictatorships.
Historical Examples
Dictators
- Julius Caeser
- Saddam Hussein
- Adolf Hitler
- Joseph Stalin
- Ferdinand Marcos
- Benito Mussolini
- Kim Jong Un
- Vladimir Putin
Dictatorships
- Nazi Germany
- North Korea
- Republic of Iraq
- Republic of the Philippines
- Fascist Italy
- Argentine Republic
Fictional Examples
- Dominion (Star Trek)
- Galactic Empire (Star Wars)
- Earth Alliance (under President Clark) Babylon 5