Dictator

Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. In modern usage, it refers to an absolutist or autocratic ruler who assumes sole power over the state (though the term is normally not applied to an absolute monarch; see also Oliver Cromwell).

Related Topics:
Magistrate - Ancient Rome - Senate - Absolutist - Autocratic - Absolute monarch - Oliver Cromwell

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Roman dictators were usually appointed by a consul and were invested with sweeping authority over the citizens, but they were originally limited to a term of six months and lacked power over the public finances. Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Julius Caesar, however, abolished these limitations and governed without these constraints. The Romans abandoned the institution of dictatorship after Caesar's murder.

Related Topics:
Consul - Lucius Cornelius Sulla - Julius Caesar - Dictatorship

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Modern dictators have usually come to power in times of emergency. Frequently they have seized power by coup, but some, most notably Benito Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany, achieved office by legal means and once in power gradually eroded constitutional restraints. Under Joseph Stalin, the concentration of power in the Communist Party in the Soviet Union developed into a personal dictatorship, but after his death there emerged a system of collective leadership. Latin American and African nations have undergone many dictatorships, usually by military leaders at the head of a junta.

Related Topics:
Coup - Benito Mussolini - Italy - Adolf Hitler - Germany - Joseph Stalin - Communist Party - Soviet Union - Junta

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