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).

"The benevolent dictator"

The benevolent dictator is a more modern version of the classical "enlightened despot," being an absolute ruler who exercises his or her political power for the benefit of the people rather than exclusively for his or her own benefit. Like many political classifications, this term suffers from its inherent subjectivity. Such leaders as Castro, Franco, Pinochet, Sadat, Tito, and Omar Torrijos have been characterized by their supporters as benevolent dictators.

Related Topics:
Benevolent dictator - Castro - Franco - Pinochet - Sadat - Tito - Omar Torrijos

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In the Spanish language, the word dictablanda is sometimes used for a dictatorship conserving some of the liberties and mechanisms of democracy. (The pun is that, in Spanish, dictadura is "dictatorship," dura is "hard" and blanda is "soft"). Some examples include Chile under Pinochet, Cuba under Castro or Yugoslavia under Tito. This contrasts with democradura (literally "hard democracy"), characterized by full formal democracy alongside limitations on constitutional freedoms and human rights abuses, frequently within the context of a civil conflict or the existence of an insurgency. Governments in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico and Venezuela have at various times been considered "democradura" regimes by different critics and opposition groups, not necessarily with an academic or political consensus about the application of the term emerging.

Related Topics:
Dictablanda - Chile - Pinochet - Cuba - Castro - Yugoslavia - Tito - Democradura - Argentina - Bolivia - Colombia - Ecuador - El Salvador - Guatemala - Haiti - Mexico - Venezuela

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