Dictatorship

Dictatorship is a negative term for Autocracy or Oligarchy. It Is also often used erroneously to describe any Fascist leader and Fascist regimes more generally. It is also often conflated with Authoritarianism. The term derives from the Roman Republic, where in emergencies an individual could be given broad powers for a limited term - the word itself means "speaker". The Ancient Romans viewed autocracy negatively and the position of dictator suspiciously, in particular following several military coups during civil wars; later Roman Emperors avoided using the title, despite sometimes being near autocrats.

More recently, the term is almost always used negatively, with the exception of Communists, who explicitly advocate a "Dictatorship of the Proletariat", though the interpretation of this concept is still debated within Marxist circles.

See also

• Mass killings under Communist regimes
• Monarchy
• Totalitarianism

External links

Encyclopedias

• Encyclopedia Britannica: Dictator
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Dictatorship
• (Best Source!) Encyclopedia Britannica 1911 Edition: Dictator
• Encyclopedia.com: Dictatorship

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