5.1 - Intro to Dictatorships

what are dictatorships

• dictators are a political leader who possesses absolute power.

• Used almost exclusively as a perjorative term for oppressive rule. 

• Today, it’s used to describe a leader who holds or abuses an extraordinary amount of personal power.

assumptions made by dictatorships

• only the elite have anything useful to contribute; people are unequal and may not compete with their rulers

• no respect for the political rights of individuals and groups that are not part of the elite, therefore there is no place for freedom of speech and assembly, or for political and legal equality

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characteristics of a dictatorship

1. An official plan covers all aspects of human existence

2. Single mass party, usually under one leader

3. Government monopoly of police and weapons

4. Control of mass communication

5. control of the economy

6. Citizens are told what to do and what is expected of them

7. Calls on citizens to sacrifice for a higher power

what do dictatorships use as a justification for their actions?

totalitarian regimes provide:

• an account for the past,

• an explanation for the present,

• and an ideological vision for the future.

there are two kinds of dictatorships. what are they?

Radical:

• Desired change is a move toward the far left side of the economic spectrum and a complete rejection of the political and economic traditions of the past

• leads to communist dictatorships

Reactionary:

• Where the change desired is a move toward an idealized past and an acceptance of economic inequality.

• leads to fascist dictatorships

different styles of dictatorships

• autocracy: where absolute, centralized power is held by one person with no constitutional checks for public accountability

• oligarchy: where power rests with a small, elite group of people, often distinguished by wealth, family ties, nobility, or corporate/military control

• majority/minority tyranny: when one group (likely within some elected body) has enough power to completely ignore the ideas of any opposition, and therefore are held unaccountable and can do anything

• junta: a small, often military, group that rules a country after seizing power by force, typically following a coup d'état

how do dictatorships maintain power?

• force: Powerful but expensive can create a new opposition

• controlled participation: people are given the appearance of having a voice in government; tokenism: giving a fairly high (conspicuous) office to a member of a dissident group

• vision: provide your people with the idea that together you can accomplish something amazing (can include the cult of personality)

• indoctrination and propaganda: especially effective when used in the educational system

• direction of popular discontent: build up hatred against real or imagined enemies to divert attention away from the government (scapegoat)

why would somebody want to be under a dictatorship?

• order: liberalism encourages people to follow a broad set of rules, which can really be anything and therefore can be seen as a lack of order

• belonging: individualism in liberalism waters down our sense of belonging. existing as one nation, under one ruler, following the same standards, gives a sense of belonging and purpose

• freedom: liberalism can be seen as not truly free. we’re “slaves” to the system.

what’s the milgram experiment?

a controversial experiment conducted by Stanley Milgram shorty after WWII. he wanted to know why people would do such inhuman things to others (the holocaust). he figured it had something to do with authority.

what he did:

• the scenario: a “scientist” (actor in a lab coat) would oversee a “teacher” (the actual subject), who would give questions to a “student” (another actor) on the opposite side of a wall.

• if the student got a question wrong, the teacher was told to give an electric shock to the student.

• as students got more questions wrong, the voltage of the shock would increase, as set by the teacher (could go beyond lethal amounts)

• as the voltages climbed, the students would show signs of pain, and scream for help/the teacher to stop, or even pretend to die

• if the teacher hesitated to give a shock, the scientist would repeatedly tell them that it was essential for the experiment

• the experiment would only end if the teacher refused three separate times, or they delivered the maximum shock three times

milgram realized that people will disobey their own morals for an authority figure.

fascism vs communism, politically

fascism:

• Cult of the leader and elite rule

• Extreme Nationalism

• Organized violence and military force

• Territorial expansion as national interest

communism:

• Workers overthrow the wealthy

• Communist party governs in the interest of all

• Less hierarchy in Government

• Collective government to better represent the people

fascism vs communism, economically

fascism:

• Government-directed private enterprise

• Economy to serve the needs of the state

• Anti-union and anti worker rights

communism:

• Collective ownership of the means of production (land, labour and capital)

• No private property

• Equalized incomes

fascism vs communism, socially

fascism:

• Inequalities between individuals and groups

• Racial and National purity

• National strength is more important than individuals

communism:

• Society is classless

• Equal rights for women

• Cooperation, not competition