Dictatorships

1. Dictatorships Robert Mugabe God has a plan He is carrying to completion; history records the progress of that plan. Job 12:23 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

2. Review • Three basic questions have to be asked when studying any government system: • By whom and by which criteria should leaders be chosen? • How should the decision making process be organized to implement and enforce decisions? • What political institutions should be created, and what functions and power given to them? • How should the political process be organized and in whose interests should decisions be made? • Although democracies and authoritarian regimes are very different, they both exist to protect the security and economic interests of a society.

3. Definition of Autocracy • auto = absolute • cracy = to rule • synonyms: authoritarian, totalitarian, dictatorship, absolute monarchy, autocracy • people are told what to do and are expected to obey • degrees of autocracy range from benevolent dictator to totalitarian government (all facets of society are controlled by the state and no dissension is allowed)

4. Basic Belief of Autocracy • Elitism • small elite is better able to govern than a majority

5. Nietzsche • felt that although democracy created equality, it crushed the spirit of superior people for the sake of mediocre • Adolf Hitler reworded Nietzsche to: "it is madness to think and criminal to proclaim that a majority can replace the accomplishments of a genius."

6. Machiavelli • Believed that a ruler should inspire fear but at the same time should be mindful of maintaining support of the people, if only to prevent foreign powers from encouraging rebellion by the people.

7. How ideology and restructuring of society is emphasized in autocracy: • Nazism taught that the Aryan race was superior • USSR Communists taught that class struggle was necessary to achieve equality • people “taught” that restructuring is necessary • no party or personality allowed to compete with leader • one leader at the head of an elite • elite from about 10% of the population • only elite supposed to understand the truth • elite is the vanguard of the political system

8. Use of Conformity in Autocracy • citizens forced to conform through use of propaganda, terror, spying, secret police, violence against opposition, concentration/death camps

10. Dictatorship Democracy Government Citizens Citizens Government

11. Characteristics • authoritarian • totalitarian • use of force • violence • scapegoating • tokenism • control of media • controlled participation • limits on dissent • lack of accountability • provision for changes to the system • indoctrination • direction of popular discontent

12. Authoritarian Rule • Political power and authority are concentrated in the hands of one leader or a small group of people and exercised in a dictatorial manner—power is exercised by a few. • People are encouraged to identify with the leader rather than with the ideals or principles of a type of government.

13. Use of Force • A strong military and secret police exist to keep the government in power. • Military can be called upon to intervene in political affairs. • Secret police use various methods to seek out and arrest suspected dissenters and enemies of the government.

14. Violence • The fear of violence is often used to maintain power. • The threat of violence can be real or perceived.

15. Blaming an identifiable group of people for the misfortunes of society. These identifiable groups of people can be an ethnic group, entire nation, etc. This is generally used to distract attention away from the true causes of misfortune. It can also be used fabricate misfortune that may not actually exist in the society. Often, dictators find scapegoats for poor economic conditions. Scapegoating

16. Tokenism • Often, different groups on society are given a limited amount of power or rights to make them seem included. • Though it seems like these groups (usually minorities) for power, they do not and or often manipulated for the good of the dictator.

17. Control of Media • All major forms of media or controlled by the authoritarian regime. • This ensures that the dictator has a favorable image. • The state can own the media outlets, or can strictly control content.

18. Controlled Participation • Political participation is limited to involving people in activities such as elections and referendums designed to demonstrate support for the government and is policies. • There are no real choices, so elections, if any, are only symbolic. • Political competition is restricted or eliminated to ensure that all opposition to the government, even within the party, remains weak and divided. • Simpsons

19. Limits on Dissent • Dissent is limited by closely monitoring people’s views and activities and repressing opposition to government. • There are also laws that ensure that citizens cannot express their disfavor with the government.

20. Lack of Accountability • Decision making and political power are not conducted according to the rule of law. • Leaders are not required to be accountable to the people for their policies and actions. • This often leads to widespread corruption, mismanagement, repression of civil liberties, loss of human life, and persecution of minorities.

21. Provisions for Change to the System • Because of the concentration of power in the hands of a leader or small elite, provisions allowing for peaceful transition of power rarely exist. The death of the dictator is frequently followed by a violent power struggle.

22. Indoctrination • The media function to popularize the beliefs, viewpoints, and policies of the leader the government. • Access to media sources is also restricted. • Education is strictly controlled and monitored in an attempt to gain the support of youth and to teach ideas and values favoured by the government. • Often government-sponsored youth groups exist to provide activities for youth, but also to encourage support for the government.

23. Biology For 5th Grade Girls The Laws of Nature and Humanity I. We have established that all creatures, plants as well as animals, are in a continual battle for survival. Plants crowd into the area they need to grow. Every plant that fails to secure enough room and light must necessarily die. Every animal that does not secure sufficient territory and guard it against other predators, or lacks the necessary strength and speed or caution and cleverness will fall prey to its enemies. The army of plant eaters threatens the plant kingdom. Plant eaters are prey for carnivores. The battle for existence is hard and unforgiving, but is the only way to maintain life. This struggle eliminates everything that is unfit for life, and selects everything that is able to survive. --Nazi Science Book

24. Great Man Theory • one of the oldest concepts of political leadership • first civilizations ruled by absolute monarchs • believed authority came from divine right to rule • divine power infallible • succession to the throne hereditary • Government demands rule by a man possessing extraordinary talents.

25. Crisis Theory • A belief that all events in history are triggered by various crises, such as war and economic depression. • This produces such intense feelings of resentment, frustration, insecurity, and outright fear that people are willing to accept drastic political solutions. • This concept would explain the origin of many dictatorships.

26. Charismatic Leadership • A person that has the ability to capture the attention and gain the support of people through the force of their personality. • This must be one of the sources of their power to be considered a charismatic leadership.

28. How One Becomes a Dictator • when society is in a crisis (e.g.: economic depression - United States 1930s or political upheaval - USSR 1990s) people tend to look to a strong ruler to solve their problems for them • dictators not selected by heredity • Machiavelli’s view • must be ruthless and create fear in those you rule • must know how to resort to evil

29. Military Coup • Many of the world’s governments are military dictatorships. In most of these counties the leaders gained their positions by a coup d’etat • For a coup to be successful, the leaders must gain the support of the majority of the military officers. • The essential elements of a successful takeover have included seizing the presidential palace, disrupting communications and transport systems, controlling media outlets, setting up roadblocks, and arresting important political figures.

31. Types of Dictatorships • Authoritarian Governments • Absolute monarchy • One-person autocratic rule • Oligarchy • Military dictatorship • Minority tyranny • Totalitarianism • Communism • fascism

32. Absolute Monarchy • monarch achieves power by heredity • Divine right • Emir of Kuwait • Louis XIV - 1780s • Monty Python – Search for the Holy Grail

33. Autocracy • One-person autocratic rule • Based on the personality of the leader • The regime is maintained by force • Some political institutions may exist, but they are usually dominated and controlled by the leader. General Suharto --Indonesia

34. Oligarchy • Led by an elite group • May be family, ethnic minority, or a social group • The elite rules in order to further its own interests at the expense of the majority.

35. power seized by force in a coup d’etat Military personal control all decisions All key political positions are controlled through a military council (junta) Pinochet In Chile (1973-1990) YOUTUBE CLIP Military Dictatorship/Junta

36. Minority Tyranny • minority rules over majority without respect to majority rights • white regime rule over Black/Asian South Africans

37. Majority Tyranny • majority rule without respect to minority rights • US during slave trade • Nazi Germany rule over Jews

38. Nationalist One-Party States • A single-party controls all political decisions • The primary ideals of the party are based around nationalism and nationalistic ideals.

39. Ideological One-Party States • A single-party controls all political decisions • The primary ideals of the party are based around a specific ideology

40. Theocracy • A government where god is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. • A theocracy is different from a state that has an official state religion. • Iran and Afghanistan under the Taliban though these two states are potential candidates, you could argue that they are not theocracies.

41. Totalitarianism Defined • e.g.: fascist Italy under Mussolini, Nazi Germany under Hitler, Communist USSR under Stalin • ruler has total control over all aspects of human life • communications technology makes total control possible • state controls access to information, monopolizes all communication systems • state systematically indoctrinates its citizens • economy totally regulated

42. An Important Question: • Which take precedence, the will of the state/majority or individualism?

43. Another Question… • What are the major criticisms of non-democratic regimes?

45. An effective leader will be concerned about an orderly transfer of power when his term is finished Numbers 27:15-23