Dictatorship - Malia Harper, Edward Phillips, Isabel Puente, Elizabeth Richey
Disadvantages
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What makes a dictator? IP
Multiple disadvantages come alongside with the government form of a dictatorship. The most visible disadvantage seen within most dictators is that they typically abuse their power. Former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, was an outstanding example of abusing power as he was ruthless of doing anything he wanted to please himself. Iraq now suffers to this day because of his dictator reign. ER
A dictatorship is a form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations. IP
Countries Under a Dictatorship: Russia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Vietnam, Cuba
MH & ER
When placed under this kind of ruling, there is not much freedom of speech. Opposing the government can cause horrible things upon its citizens, like the other disadvantages mentioned: mass killings. Thanom Kittikachorn, an ex-Thai military dictator, ordered his military to open fire on Thammasat University. There were thousands of students protesting against the return of Kittikachorn. The government saw this as a threat and killed 46 students, wounded 167, and arrested over 3,000 all because they spoke how they truly felt about the dictator Kittikachorn. ER
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They usually rule autocracies (which is a system of government by one person with absolute power), governments with a single self-appointed leader and no governing body to check his power. IP
(Crime rate levels increasing in Russia chart). M.H
Crime rates have been proven to lower themselves when a dictator focuses on the problem at hand, this includes an advancement in precautions necessary to lower crime: implementing new laws. MH
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Over the centuries of dictators, we can see that for the most part, dictators tend to stay in power for a very long time. They are deposed only to be replaced by another dictator. It takes a long time to change an entire governmental structure. IP
Another disadvantage is that mass killings typically occur. Lots of innocent people are killed because people oppose the government views and therefore the government views them as enemies. Although it is not necessarily a mass killing, it has been reported that at least 21 journalists have been killed since Vladimir Putin became Russia's leader. Although there is no confirmed cause of each murder, it is evident that the freedom of speech does not truly exist in Russia, and speaking out against the government will cause violent actions. ER
One party system in Russia ensures that the public will receive any goods and services it requires. By having a dictatorship, the leader makes the decisions for what is best for the public, as opposed to the public deciding what is best for themselves. This way is more efficient. To further elaborate, Russia operates under a Federal System, where both the central and regional government share power. MH
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What is a benevolent dictator?
When you think of a dictator usually you think of a bad person but not all of them are horrible and one of those kinds is a benevolent dictator. It is a person who applies his absolute power for the good of his citizens, instead of the good of himself or his friends and associates. IP
REFERENCES
Erin Blakemore "How the Castro Family Dominated Cuba for Nearly 60 Years" 15 March 2019. History.com
https://www.history.com/news/cuba-after-castro-miguel-diaz-canel IP
(Russia Map image) MH
Fidel Castro, then a young attorney with a flair for politics, wanted all of Cuba to rise up against Fulgencio Batista, who had deposed Cuba’s president the year prior. His mission, designed to spark others to revolt, was nothing short of suicidal: Along with his brother Raúl and about 120 others, he invaded Cuba’s second-largest military garrison. It failed and he was jailed. As for the government system goes, Cuba mainly follows the Unitary system, but also follows the Leninist system, which means dictatorship in simpler terms. IP & ER
Shanna Freeman "How Dictators Work" 2 April 2008.
HowStuffWorks.com. https://people.howstuffworks.com/dictator.htm 9 September 2020 IP
When most people think of Thailand, the thought of beaches, sun and smiles come to mind. But this idyllic scene takes place amid political repression and a dictatorship. The good news is that direct military rule is coming to an end, but the political situation has become more complex and perplexing. In the words of one junta-appointed senator, it is a "democratic dictatorship." Alongside with the quote, Thailand is seen to somewhat follow a Unitary System, but mainly has a Parliamentary System. IP & ER
"ASIA
Opinion: Thailand's democratic dictatorship" https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-thailands-democratic-dictatorship/a-49082008 IP
Gaille, Louise. “16 Pros and Cons of Dictatorship.” Vittana.org, 16 Dec. 2019, vittana.org/16-pros-and-cons-of-dictatorship. ER
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Saudi Arabia is infamously known for being under the rule of a dictatorship, which is further emphasized through the Unitary System they follow. Their leader, Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, rules solely by himself under his "one-man" rule. This allows him to spread propaganda everywhere in the country to gain citizens' approval through brainwashing. The citizens are faced with a ruthless leadership involving surveillance, harassment, and even kidnapping in certain cases. MH
Map of Saudi Arabia MH
Iraq is under the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein who was a ruthless ruler up until the Persian Gulf War and near the end of the Iraq war. The country follows a Federal System, but Hussein did not give power to the Regional Governments.He was finally executed after crimes against humanity for being responsible for the deaths of thousands of his people. MH & ER
Another example of what goes wrong under this kind of rule is that the country becomes isolated. Cuba for example, lost many of its international relationships when Fidel Castro became the President. In fact, because of the loss, some countries had restricted any, if not all, economic sense with Cuba. From Castro's dictator actions, it resulted in the entire nation suffering. ER
A long line of Cubans waiting to get their food rations due to Castro's upbringing. ER
(Dictator Saddam Hussein giving a speech) MH
Vietnam used to be under a dictatorship when Ho Chi Minh ruled. This communist influence created tension between the North and South Vietnamese. It was because of this tension between governments in the country, and the cruel treatment the citizens were facing, that eventually led to the Vietnam War. It is unclear as to what kind of system Vietnam is under, but it is predicted that they follow a combination of a Unitary, Communist and Socialist System. MH & ER
(Communist dictator, Ho Chi Minh) MH
Solomon, Feliz. “Thailand Marks 40 Years Since the 1976 Thammasat Massacre.” Time, Time, 6 Oct. 2016, time.com/4519367/thailand-bangkok-october-6-1976-thammasat-massacre-students-joshua-wong/. ER
If a problem ever occurs in a dictatorship led country, the government can respond quickly since the government is only comprised of a singular person. EP
Dictators are typically smart and very technical, so it is easy to use their personalities to strengthen national relations with other countries. For example, Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator and Donald Trump, the U.S. President, met on several occurrences to build the U.S.-North Korean relationship. EP&ER
In a dictatorship, a leader can easily motivate and inspire their country to become sophisticated. Dictators use strategies like persuasion and propaganda to effectively convince people to think how like how they want them to think. A good example of this is how Hitler was able to inspire over 130,000 Germans during World War II. EP&ER
Dictators don't appoint any random individuals into office but instead, have wisdom when it comes to running a country and choose other people whom they believe can help run a country effectively. They essentially have complete political country of a country and how it is run. MH & EP
(Image of Hitler and his supporters seen in the back) ER
(Image of Kim Jung Un and Donald Trump shaking hands with one another) MH & EP
(Hussein pictured here waving to a crowd) ER
Yusuf, Abdullah. “Saddam Hussein: How a Deadly Purge of Opponents Set up His Ruthless Dictatorship.” The Conversation, 1 Sept. 2020, theconversation.com/saddam-hussein-how-a-deadly-purge-of-opponents-set-up-his-ruthless-dictatorship-120748. ER
(Image of Thammasat University massacre) ER