list of dictatorship countries

" Many are noted for their cruelty, while others are honored as national heroes. 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. In fact, you may devise any chart you like concerning politics or anything else and label left and right however you choose. Like the two individuals above, Imelda Marcos gained her power through being the wife of a military dictator. But for today, these are the world's dictatorships. Skyline of Downtown Dubai with Burj Khalifa from a Helicopter. 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. Single-party dictatorships are one-party states in which only the party in power is legalized and all opposition parties are banned. [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. If it is not responsible, it is a presidential democracy. [8]:455 Sometimes sitting governments will attach a vote of no confidence clause to a piece of legislation they want passed, effectively tying the survival of the government on the piece of legislation. The 20th century saw the rise of fascist and communist dictatorships in Europe; fascism was eradicated in the aftermath of World War II in 1945, while communism spread to other continents, maintaining prominence until the end of the Cold War in 1991. [1]:70. Interestingly, most modern dictatorships do not use the term "dictator" to. With a total area of 2,381,741 square kilometres, 90% of which is desert, Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world, and the largest in Arab world and Africa and on the Mediterranean. Many personalist regimes will install open ballots to protect their regimes and implement heavy security measures and censorship for those whose personal preferences do not align with the values of the leader. An alternation in power under electoral rules identical to the ones that brought the incumbent to office must have taken place. Qatar - Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani Russia - Vladimir Putin, President of Russia Rwanda - Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda Saudi Arabia - King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, King of Saudi Arabia Somalia - Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia South Sudan - Salva Kiir Mayardit, President One of its most notable examples was Holodomor, where Joseph Stalin blamed the shortages of grain on "enemies of the state" who hoarded it. [26], A dictatorship may fall because of a military coup, foreign intervention, negotiation, or popular revolution. the dictatorship of the proletariat had to be preserved in the socialist countries to assure that the reeducated minds of the workers already lucky enough to live under socialism were not re-infected by capitalist ideas coming in from outside the people's collectivist . [54][55] The concept of "dictator" was first developed during the Roman Republic. This was replaced by a trend of developing a positive public image to maintain support among the populace and moderating rhetoric to integrate with the global community. These movements were a response to what they perceived as decadence and societal decay due to the changing social norms and race relations brought about by liberalism. The Freedom in the World report evaluates the state of freedom in 195 countries and 14 territories, assigning a score between 0 and 4 in a series of 25 indicators to give a final score of 100. [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. Adolf Hitler - 1889-1945. [74] The Bolsheviks consolidated power by 1922, forming the Soviet Union. [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. Sudan - 1989 to 2019 - Omar al-Bashir. [101] Albania was established as a communist dictatorship under Enver Hoxha in 1944. The legislature must be popularly elected. 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. Most of them are characterized by a single leader with either no party or one that is weak. The economic focus of a dictatorship often depends on the strength of the opposition, as a weaker opposition allows a dictator to extract additional wealth from the economy through corruption.[125]. Typically, dictators rise to power when a nation faces significant social issues, such as strong economic crises or unrest among the nation's people. Personalist regimes diverge from other regimes when it comes to their longevity, methods of breakdown, levels of corruption, and proneness to conflicts. Several dictatorships have persisted into the 21st century, particularly in Africa and Asia. In their book "Dictators and Dictatorships: Understanding Authoritarian Regimes and Their Leaders", authors Natasha M. Ezrow and Erica Frantz lay out five types of dictatorships: Power is obtained and maintained through military might. In fact, most dictators adopt common appellations such as "President" or "Prime Minister", so they must be identified via their actions and policies rather than their title. The totalitarian dictatorship in the People's Republic of China , from 1949 to the present. Korea experienced military dictatorships under the rule of Yeon Gaesomun in the 7th century[58] and under the rule of the Goryeo military regime in the 12th and 13th centuries. If the head of state is popularly elected for a fixed term then, the democracy is mixed or semi-presidential. (2010), Cheibub, Gandhi, and Vreeland developed a six-fold regime classification scheme, resulting what the authors called as the DD datasets. But to understand the dictatorship in Cuba . [103], Military dictatorships remained prominent in Latin America during the Cold War, though the number of coups declined starting in the 1980s. Examples of Fascism. [130] One-party dictatorships are generally more stable and last longer than military or personalist dictatorships. 3. [31], Personalist dictatorships are regimes in which all power lies in the hands of a single individual. As of early 2022, the countries of Afghanistan, Eritrea, North Korea, and Turkmenistan are the only nations in the world whose governments are generally considered to be totalitarian dictatorships. Perhaps someday some of these modern dictatorships will cast off their dictators and embrace a more democratic and inclusive form of government. During his reign of terror, about 30,000 Haitians are estimated to have been assassinated, while thousands - mostly intelligence fled the country. On a similar note, a dictatorship's regular citizens have no voice in most matters. [16], Most dictatorships are formed through military means or through a political party. The table below offers a full list of which countries are what type of democracy. Dictatorships are authoritarian or totalitarian and can be classified as military dictatorships, one-party dictatorships, personalist dictatorships, or absolute monarchies. Dictatorships frequently hold elections in order to establish their legitimacy or provide incentives to members of the ruling party, but these elections are not competitive for the opposition. A dictator that has concentrated significant power is more likely to be exiled, imprisoned, or killed after ouster, and accordingly they are more likely to refuse negotiation and cling to power. Too Much Power. 10. 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) [94], Marxist and nationalist movements became popular in Southeast Asia as a response to colonial control and the subsequent Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia, with both ideologies facilitating the creation of dictatorships after World War II. Democracies can be either parliamentary, semi-presidential, or presidential and dictatorships can be civilian, military, or royal. [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. Obiang's regime is known for state-sanctioned kidnappings, torture of prisoners, and unlawful killings. A dictator may address the opposition by repressing it through force, modifying laws to restrict its power, or appeasing it with limited benefits. The role of dictator was created for instances when a single leader was needed to command and restore stability. In the latter half of the 20th century, Latin America witnessed a rise in authoritarian regimes across the expanse of the regionoften with multiple dictators following different political . [104] A one-party communist dictatorship was formed in Cuba when a US-backed dictatorship was overthrown in the Cuban Revolution, creating the only Soviet-backed dictatorship in the western hemisphere. Below are the world's most authoritarian regimes: 21. [59] Shoguns were de facto military dictators in Japan beginning in 1185 and continuing for over six hundred years. The Democracy-Dictatorship Index is seen as an example of the minimalist approach, whereas the Polity data series is more substantive. Marxist one-party states are sometimes distinguished from other one-party states, but they function similarly. Parties formed after the seizure of power often have little influence and only exist to serve the dictator. Stability can be weakened when opposition groups grow and unify or when elites are not loyal to the regime. Exceptions to the pattern of poverty in dictatorships include oil-rich Middle Eastern dictatorships and the East Asian Tigers during their periods of dictatorship. [8]:456. The chief executive can take many names including chancellor, prime minister, or premier and the heads of the executive departments can bear different names and be called different things. Deadliest Dictator Regimes in History Maoist Catastrophe Between 1946 and 1976, China suffered under the rule of Mao Zedong, a communist revolutionary who founded the People's Republic of China. Africa has several long-standing dictators despite the fact that the continent as a whole is quite volatile politically. For example, DD could classify a country which has a legislative assembly whose official name is "the parliament" but still classify it in any of the three categories. A Roman dictator was a special magistrate that was temporarily appointed by the consul during times of crisis and granted total executive authority. [56] At least 85 such dictators were chosen over the course of the Roman Republic, the last of which was chosen to wage the Second Punic War. [9] Political philosopher Hannah Arendt describes totalitarianism as a new and extreme form of dictatorship composed of "atomized, isolated individuals" in which ideology plays a leading role in defining how the entire society should be organized. In some cases, nations may have multiple ruling bodies or government types, meaning they're not exclusively countries that are governed by dictatorships. [134] Revolution takes place when the opposition group grows large enough that elites in the regime cannot suppress it or choose not to. This may sound like a contradiction of terms to many people. This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 12:26. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. [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. Elections allow a dictatorship to exercise some control over the opposition by setting the terms under which the opposition challenges the regime. Human habitation in Afghanistan dates back to the Middle Paleolithic Era, and the country's strategic location along the Silk Road connected it to the cultures of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. 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. President Vladimir Putin is currently serving his fourth term as President of Russia. Perhaps someday some of these modern dictatorships will cast off their dictators and embrace a more democratic and inclusive form of government. These movements supported pan-Arab Nasserism during most of the Cold War, but they were largely replaced by Islamic nationalism by the 1980s. There are currently 22 dictators in Africa, some worse than others. While the People's Republic of China was initially aligned with the Soviet Union, relations between the two countries deteriorated as the Soviet Union underwent de-Stalinization in the late-1950s. [116] Dictatorships in the Middle East are primarily guided by Islamic nationalism. [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. (Image Wikipedia) Electoral process and pluralism: 0.00. [57] The rule of a dictator was not necessarily considered tyrannical in Ancient Rome, though it has been described in some accounts as a "temporary tyranny" or an "elective tyranny".