Dictatorship facts for kids

A dictatorship is a type of government where one person or a small group has total power. This ruler is called a dictator. In a dictatorship, people usually don't have many rights or much freedom. The dictator makes all the rules and decisions, and citizens have little say in how their country is run.

Portraits of Kim Jong-il and his father in the Grand People's Study House in Pyongyang, North Korea.

How Dictators Take Control

Dictators often come to power during difficult times. This might be when a country faces big problems like many people being out of work (unemployment) or prices going up very fast (inflation). When people are unhappy and there is unrest, a dictator might promise to bring order and solve these problems.

Powerful groups sometimes support dictators. These groups can include wealthy landowners, business owners, or even some religious institutions. They might believe a strong leader can bring stability, even if it means using force. This force is often used against poorer parts of society or groups that are seen as a threat.

How Dictators Stay in Power

Once in power, dictators usually do several things to keep their control:

• Removing Opponents: They get rid of anyone who disagrees with them. These opponents might be put in jail, sent out of the country (exile), or even killed.
• Banning Other Groups: Dictators do not allow other political parties or groups that oppose their rule to exist. They might take away their property or offices.
• Controlling Freedoms: They might limit or control religious groups. They also often close down democratic places like parliament or congress, where people's representatives usually make laws.
• Stopping Organizations: Groups that work for civil rights, human rights, or help students and workers (unions) are often shut down. People who try to continue these activities can face harsh punishment.
• Changing Laws: Dictators often rewrite the country's constitution or create a new one. This makes their power seem legal and hard to challenge.
• Using Fear: They keep control using state terrorism. This can involve a secret police, groups that harm people (death squads), sudden night rules (curfew), and arresting people without a trial. They might also have places for torture or large prison camps (concentration camps).
• Creating an Enemy: Sometimes, dictators invent a fake enemy inside their country. They claim to be at war with this enemy to justify using a lot of military force against their own people.

Types of Dictatorships

When soldiers rule a country, it's called a military dictatorship or a junta. An absolute monarchy is another type of dictatorship. In this system, a King or Queen has complete power over their country. However, these are usually not called dictatorships.

Most people do not like living under a dictatorship. This is because they don't like being told what to do all the time. Many dictators are seen as selfish, ruling only to gain and keep power for themselves.

Famous Dictators in History

Here are some well-known dictators from history:

• Adolf Hitler - Germany
• Benito Mussolini - Italy
• Francisco Franco - Spain
• Augusto Pinochet - Chile
• Joseph Stalin - U.S.S.R
• Kim Jong-il - North Korea
• Muammar al-Gaddafi - Libya
• Bashar al-Assad - Syria
• Idi Amin - Uganda

Images for kids

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  Benito Mussolini in the March on Rome that installed him as dictator in Italy

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  Soldiers occupy Seoul, South Korea as part of the May 16 coup that placed General Park Chung Hee in power

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  An assembly at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses in Moscow, Soviet Union

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  Citizens of North Korea bow to statues of former dictators Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in 2012.

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  King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia with two of his sons in 1953.

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  Military dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna wearing a Mexican military uniform

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  The Nuremberg rallies celebrated fascism and the rule of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany.

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  A communist rally in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the country's period of Marxist dictatorship, the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

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  Nicolae Ceaușescu (left) attending a stage event with Hafiz al-Assad (right), during his state visit to Ba'athist dictatorship of Syria

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  Meeting between Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko in 2003

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  GDP per capita vs type of political regime. Most countries with dictatorships are poor except for some petrostates

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  An electoral slip in the 1936 German parliamentary election. Adolf Hitler and his inner circle are the only option.

See also

In Spanish: Dictadura para niños