One-party state facts for kids

A one-party system is a type of government where only one political party is allowed to exist and rule a country. This means that people cannot create other political parties.

Sometimes, a country might have many political parties, but only one is always in charge. This is called a one-party dominant state. In these places, other parties are allowed to exist, but they usually don't have a real chance to win power. For example, in China, the Communist Party of China holds all the power. Other parties can exist only if they agree to let the Communist Party lead.

Historically, well-known examples of one-party states include the Soviet Union (from 1922 to 1991), Nazi Germany (from 1933 to 1945), and Italy under Benito Mussolini (from 1922 to 1943). Many countries in Eastern Europe during the Cold War were also one-party states. Some one-party states are also known as dictatorships. They might be called a police state or a military dictatorship if a secret police or the military is used to keep the leader in power by force.

One-party systems are often found in countries that follow communist ideas (like Marxist-Leninist beliefs) or fascist ideas.

Countries with One-Party Rule

As of October 2020, there are several countries where a single party rules:

• China (ruled by the Communist Party, with 8 smaller parties allowed)
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea (ruled by the Korean Workers' Party; 2 minor parties exist mostly on paper)
• Vietnam (ruled by the Communist Party)
• Cuba (ruled by the Communist Party)
• Eritrea
• Western Sahara
• Burma (where other parties are stopped from taking office)
• Laos (ruled by the Communist Party)
• Bermuda (ruled by the Progressive Labour Party, with 2 smaller parties)

Past One-Party States

Many countries used to be ruled by a single party. Here are some examples:

• Nazi Germany (ruled by the Nazi Party)
• Kingdom of Italy (ruled by the National Fascist Party)
• Socialist Republic of Romania (ruled by the Romanian Communist Party)
• Democratic Kampuchea (ruled by the Communist Party of Kampuchea)
• Empire of Japan (ruled by the Imperial Rule Assistance Association)
• Polish People's Republic (ruled by the Polish Workers' Party)
• Soviet Union (ruled by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union)
• Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (ruled by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia)
• Syrian Arab Republic (ruled by the Ba'ath Party)
• Serbia (ruled by the Serbian Progressive Party)
• South Africa (ruled by the African National Congress)

Similar Political Systems

De Facto One-Party States

These are countries where other political parties are allowed by law, but for different reasons, no other party currently exists. Also, in some kingdoms, a royal family might rule the country directly, even if political parties exist. Many kingdoms and Emirates in the Middle East are examples of this.

Dominant-Party System

In a dominant-party system, many parties are allowed to exist, but one party is so strong that it almost always wins elections. This means the dominant party stays in power for a very long time.

Examples of countries with a dominant-party system include:

• Russia (with United Russia)
• Azerbaijan (with the New Azerbaijan Party)
• Turkey (with the Justice and Development Party)
• Serbia (with the Serbian Progressive Party)
• Montenegro (with the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro)
• Singapore (with the People's Action Party)
• South Africa (with the African National Congress)
• Syrian Arab Republic (with the Ba'ath Party)
• Equatorial Guinea (with the Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea)
• Bangladesh (with the Awami League)
• Belarus (with Belaya Rus)
• Venezuela (with the PSUV)
• Angola (with the MPLA)
• Mozambique (with the FRELIMO)
• Paraguay (with the Colorado Party)
• Zimbabwe (with the ZANU-PF)
• Japan (with the Liberal Democratic Party)

In some of these countries, the ruling party might use different ways to make it hard for other parties to win. They might not ban other parties, but they can use government power to prevent smaller parties from getting more votes. This can involve things like electoral fraud (cheating in elections), gerrymandering (drawing election districts to favor one party), or court decisions that are controlled by the government.

Sometimes, leaders of opposition parties are stopped from using the mass media (like TV or newspapers) during elections. They might also be threatened, bothered, put in jail, or even killed. In other cases, only candidates from smaller parties that are very close to the ruling party, or "independent" candidates who support the ruling party, have a chance to win.

In these situations, it's very unlikely that the ruling party will lose power anytime soon. Very few one-party states are truly democratic, meaning they don't limit other parties. For example, in Mexico, presidential candidates from the Institutional Revolutionary Party were elected for over 70 years.

See also

In Spanish: Unipartidismo para niños