Dictatorship: definition and characteristics

Dictatorship it is a government regime where power is concentrated in the hands of an individual or group.

A dictatorship is characterized by having censorship, lack of transparent elections, party freedom and an intense state control in the lives of citizens.

Characteristics of a Dictatorship

Military Dictatorship in Chile — Military junta that ruled Chile in the 70s. Pinochet is third from left to right

A dictatorship is an undemocratic regime based on the rule of a dictator. To exercise it, the leader relies on only one political party whose ideology will be the only one considered correct and on censorship.

The dictator is often considered a special being, where citizens owe obedience and it is not possible to question him.

Dictatorships can be right-wing, left-wing, religious, monarchical, etc. They even use democratic resources such as elections to disguise their authoritarian character.

Military dictatorship

A military dictatorship is one exercised by a military man or group of soldiers.

In modern times, the first military dictator was Napoleon Bonaparte when he proclaimed himself First Consul of France after the

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Brumaire 18 hit. In this way, civil power came to be exercised by a general who concentrated all powers in his person.

In the 20th century, several countries in Latin America suffered military dictatorships due to the fragility of their democratic institutions.

In Europe, we observe this phenomenon in Italy - with Benito Mussolini (1922 to 1943), in Germany - with Adolf Hitler (1933 to 1945) and in the Soviet Union - with Joseph Stalin (1922 to 1953).

Also in Africa and Asia, we have countries that suffered military dictatorship, such as Libya, led by Gaddafi (1969 - 2011) or Cambodia, governed by Pol Pot (1963 to 1979).

Dictatorship in Brazil

Brazil suffered dictatorship in two periods of its history: in the government of Getúlio Vargas, during the new state (1937-1945), and the military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985.

Both dictatorships were installed after a coup d'état against a democratic government. At that time, in addition to censorship, opponents were persecuted and individual freedoms were restricted.

Origin of Dictatorship

The term dictatorship comes from Latin and was used for the first time in the Roman Republic.

However, this dictatorship is different from the modern concept. At that time, the dictator had full powers for a limited period of time and this was given to him by the Senate.

Dictatorship is a phenomenon of the 19th and 20th century. Typically, dictators are representatives of one of the Armed Forces or obtain power by force.

In this way, there is no dictatorship that has survived without the support of weapons and violence.

It must be remembered that repression is exercised in two ways: both physical and psychological. Physics is characterized by the brutality with which law enforcement agents uphold the law, while the psychological ranges from political propaganda to the restriction of freedom of expression.

Dictatorship of the Proletariat

The expression "dictatorship of the proletariat" was created by the philosopher Karl Marx.

According to Marx, when the working class took power, society would be egalitarian. The socialist mode of production would be installed and the bourgeoisie would not exist.

Thus, "dictatorship of the proletariat" refers to the implantation of communism, when class differences were overcome and it would be the final stage of human history.