What is a dictatorship? Its causes and features

The notion of a political regime is one of the most important in the generally accepted political science. Any political power has its own characteristics and features. The realization of power is carried out through certain methods and means.

Political regime

In different historical periods, state power can have excellent forms of political regime. The mechanisms of interaction between society and the state depend on them, the methods of political management of the country, the scope of the rights, freedoms and duties of citizens.

It is rare to find any political regime in its pure form. This is evidenced by the history of the USSR, when under the guise of democracy for a long time the rigid dictatorship of power functioned. In our time, a similar situation is observed in a number of countries, including a dictatorship against a background of democracy.

Signs of the political regime

The main features characterizing the political regime are:

• The principles on the basis of which the institutions of power operate;
• Political objectives;
• Ways and mechanisms for achieving political goals.

The nature of the country's political regime is directly linked to the historical development of the state, the traditions of the people, the level of political awareness and culture. No wonder they say: "The people have the power that it deserves." This phrase illustrates well the cases of usurpation of power by one person or a group of people (the so-called political elite). In fact, the people themselves allow the dictator to take the place where he is.

What is a dictatorship, the citizens of many states have experienced on their own, and at times more than once. As a rule, the cycle of totalitarian regimes tends to repeat precisely in countries with an unchanged political culture.

Forms of modes

The political regime is a reflection of the situation prevailing in a society characterized by the extent of citizen participation in the exercise of state power. Political scientists distinguish two main types of state regimes.

1. Democratic.
2. Undemocratic (dictatorial).

The main characteristic of the democratic regime is the direct influence of citizens on the exercise of state power in the country. The constitution of the state does not determine the nature of political power. But it may contain indications of a democratic orientation.

In turn, answering the question: "What is dictatorship?" - political science characterizes the regime with a complete lack of participation of civil society in the mechanisms for exercising state power. Concentration of the full power in the hands of one person or group of persons. The latter can represent the ruling party or even a small elite part of this party.

There are two main types of dictatorial (undemocratic) political regime:

• totalitarian;
• authoritarian.

Totalitarian regime

What is a dictatorship in the form of totalitarianism, was defined in the 20s by critics B. Mussolini. For the first time the term "totalitarianism" was applied to the fascist regime in 1925. Later the term was used to refer to the Soviet regime.

The first manifestations of totalitarianism belong to the beginning of the twentieth century. Its appearance is conditioned by the desire of the society for clear guidelines for the development of the "new man", the "new economic order". Such a socio-economic model is a certain reaction of the masses to the rapid destruction of habitual structures, the desire of people to unite in the face of a frightening future.

In an unbalanced, frightened state, the masses are easily influenced by strong political leaders (leaders, Fuhrer). Charismatic personalities who have sufficient political will, easily find themselves like-minded people. And already relying on their support, they are imposing pressure on citizens, introducing their ideology, decisions, goals and ways to achieve them.

The totalitarian regime is characterized by total (total) subordination by the state of all directions of life of a particular person and society as a whole. The state structure of power under totalitarianism is a centralized political structure. The emergence of other uncontrolled political or public organizations in this situation is excluded. Due to the complete absorption by one power structure of all spheres of society's activity, the ideological control of the ruling organization is achieved. As a result, such an ideology becomes a global unifying force. It is this global control by the state that distinguishes totalitarianism from such regimes as military dictatorship, tyranny, despotism and so on.

The difference in ideological trends allows us to subdivide totalitarian regimes into "left" and "right" ones. Based on the ideas of Marxism-Leninism and fascism, respectively.

Common features for any totalitarian regime are:

• Constant search for enemies, both inside and outside the country;
• Military or partially military organization of society;
• Creation of extreme situations;
• Constant mobilization of the masses to fulfill important, urgent tasks;
• Rigid vertical of power ;
• Submission to management.

Totalitarian regimes have slogans: "victory at any cost," "the end justifies the means," "the party is our helmsman."

Authoritarian mode

Authoritarian political regime of power is characterized by the concentration of all state power in one ruling group or one person (monarch, dictator).

Unlike totalitarianism, here society is not controlled so harshly. Ideology allows for pluralism of opinions provided it is harmless in relation to the state system. The main share of repressive measures lies with the regime's zealous opponents. The rights and freedoms of citizens are personal.

Characteristic features of authoritarianism are:

• High centralization of power;
• The subordination of many aspects of the life of citizens to the interests of the state;
• A clear division between people and power;
• Prevention of strong political opposition;
• Infringement of media freedoms;
• With formal separation of branches of power into executive, legislative and judicial branches, there really is no such division;
• The constitution is declarative;
• The election system is in fact indicative.

Authoritarianism is a transitional process between the democratic and totalitarian regimes. At the same time, development can occur both in one and the other direction (conservative or progressive variants). Transitivity is well defined in the fuzziness of characteristics, which simultaneously have the features of a totalitarian and democratic regimes.

Most often, authoritarian regimes can be found in a state where the government seeks to carry out fundamental changes in the social system and carries out a "revolution from above."

The causes of the dictatorship

Having dealt with the question "what is dictatorship", one can not ignore the reasons for its occurrence. The dictatorship, according to many political scientists, is the result of the reaction of the masses to the political and socio-economic crises. Similar phenomena are accompanied by mass appearances of "unsettled", "knocked out of the rut" persons. In other words, as a result of the impact of external circumstances (migration, economic crises, and so on), the individual loses touch with his social groups and cultural norms. As a consequence, the personality easily falls under the influence, and it can be manipulated. The masses, consisting of such people, are very sensitive to the calls of the leaders, who are ready to offer a new unifying foundation, in other words, a new ideology. There is an illusion of attracting the individual to the general (to the class, race, state, party). The reasons for the dictatorship can be not only internal, but also external. The dictatorial regime can be established as a response to an external threat, and it can be not only real, but also imaginary. Threats may be: preconditions for the emergence of military conflicts, the danger of losing independence, the assumption of an invasion of the country.

Conclusion

An internally closed system of power (such as a dictatorship) does not have sufficient flexibility and the ability to adapt to the dynamics of changes in a multi-layered society. Fear, terror, restrictions on freedoms can not persecute citizens forever. With the slightest easing of the regime, opposition moods are beginning to actively manifest in society, capable of undermining the foundations of dictatorial regimes.

In addition, against the backdrop of the active development of the technical infrastructure, the constant growth in the volume of accessible information, mass media, the development of the Internet for totalitarian systems, there is a danger of not being restricted and limited in the information field. This means that it is impossible to control the mood of the masses. And the fall of the system of single thinking is the first and the main blow to the dictatorship, which can lead to the collapse of the entire system. Thus, today totalitarian regimes are forced to artificially restrict the information space.

Finally, it is possible to destroy the regime of dictatorship only with the help of democratic institutions and involving the population of the country in transparent information relations. The political culture of a society, self-respect and the growth of social responsibility are important for the existence of a "healthy" power.