A military dictatorship is a

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...

in which the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

exerts complete or substantial control over

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

authority, and the

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...

is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have

civilian control of the military Civilian control of the military is a doctrine in military and political science that places ultimate responsibility for a country's strategic decision-making in the hands of the civilian political leadership, rather than professional military ...

Creation and evolution

Most military dictatorships are formed after a ''

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

'' has overthrown the previous government. There have been cases, however, where the civilian government had been formally maintained but the military exercises ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' control—the civilian government is either bypassed or forced to comply with the military's wishes. For example, from 1916 until the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the German Empire was governed as an effective military dictatorship, because its leading generals had gained such a level of control over

Kaiser Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

that the Chancellor and other civilian ministers effectively served at their pleasure. Alternatively, the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

after 1931 never in any formal way drastically altered the constitutional structure of its government, but from that point, it is typically seen as a military dictatorship, since the Army and Navy had the effective legal right to veto the formation of undesirable governments (and also to compel the resignation of an existing government that had lost their favor), and since key cabinet posts traditionally held by civilians (especially the Premiership) were instead filled by active flag officers. Military dictatorships may gradually restore significant components of

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

government while the senior military commander still maintains executive

political power In social science and politics, power is the social production of an effect that determines the capacities, actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors. Power does not exclusively refer to the threat or use of force ( coercion) by one actor agains ...

. As an example, the Chilean military dictatorship under

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

conducted a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...

in 1980 that instituted a new constitution, thus legitimizing the regime's rule.

Justification

In the past, military juntas have justified their rule as a way of bringing political stability for the nation or rescuing it from the threat of "dangerous ideologies". For example, the threat of

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

, and Islamism was often used. Military regimes tend to portray themselves as non-partisan, as a "neutral" party that can provide interim leadership in times of turmoil, and also tend to portray civilian politicians as corrupt and ineffective. One of the almost universal characteristics of a military government is the institution of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

or a permanent state of emergency.

Comparison with other forms of authoritarianism

Comparison with monarchies

A military dictatorship is distinct from an

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

, although there are some similarities, especially concerning how the two are (or historically have been) established. Virtually all absolute monarchs (and even most

constitutional monarchs A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

) are commanders-in-chief of their nations' militaries, wear military uniforms at least on a ceremonial basis and hold military ranks and/or titles. Also, senior members of royal families, especially if they are male and/or heirs apparent or presumptive, are expected to perform military service prior to ascending the throne. Moreover, almost all monarchies (both current and defunct) established themselves over the past centuries and millennia by force of arms. A key difference between a monarchy and a military dictatorship is that once they are established and recognized by their subjects (a process that has often taken many generations) a monarchy typically establishes some form of hereditary succession to legitimately transfer power from generation to generation, and while there historically have been many cases of disputed claims to a throne, attempting to seize power through sheer force of arms without some sort of credible hereditary claim is usually regarded as illegitimate and/or illegal by monarchists. In constitutional monarchies the monarch is usually the commander-in-chief and is often formally the highest-ranking military officer but in practice is expected to defer to the advice of civilian ministers, especially when appointing flag officers who will exercise actual operational command, thus maintaining

. On the other hand, modern military dictatorships typically eschew hereditary succession with long-lasting juntas often emphasizing the traditional methods of promotion within the officer ranks as the eventual path to civil power. Military dictatorships which have attempted to establish themselves as monarchies or otherwise implement hereditary succession, whether or not by attempting to establish themselves as monarchies, have often collapsed very quickly. In one example,

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

after deposing and executing King

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

refused all offers to take the English Crown, but nevertheless attempted to have power transferred after his death to his son

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. On his father's deat ...

; however, the younger Cromwell lacked the respect or support of the English military establishment, and was thus quickly forced to relinquish power. In another, a few years after staging a coup and establishing himself as the French First Republic's dictator,

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

crowned himself French

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

. Although he subsequently married a Habsburg princess and sired an heir to his newly established throne, Napoleon's claim to power was never fully accepted by French royalists who supported the deposed House of Bourbon, nor by other European monarchies. Eventually, Napoleon's armies were defeated and he was forced to abdicate and go into exile. Although Napoleon's nephew eventually re-established the

Bonapartist Bonapartism (french: Bonapartisme) is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In thi ...

monarchy for a time, his seizure of power might be better described in the context of a civilian dictatorship as described in the next section.

Comparison with civilian dictatorship

A military dictatorship is also different from civilian dictatorship for a number of reasons: their motivations for seizing power, the institutions through which they organize their rule and the ways in which they leave power. Often viewing itself as saving the nation from the corrupt or myopic civilian politicians, a military dictatorship justifies its position as "neutral" arbiters on the basis of their membership within the armed forces, which in many countries are nominally expected to be apolitical institutions. For example, many juntas adopt titles along the lines of "Committee of National Restoration", or "National Liberation Committee". Military leaders often rule as a junta, selecting one of themselves as a head.

Current cases

Former cases

Country names in bold are ones that are currently a military dictatorship.

Africa

# ( 1965–1976; 1992–1994;

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) # ( 1963–1964; 1965–1968; 1969–1970; 1972–1990) # ( 1966–1980; 1980–1982; 1982–1983; 1983–1987; 1987–2014; 2015; 2022–present) # ( 1966–1974; 1976–1979; 1987–1992; 1996–2003) # ( 1966–1979; 1981–1986; 2003–2005; 2013–2014) # ( 1975–1979; 1982–1990; 2021–present) # ( 1990–1994) # ( 1999–2006) # ( 1968–1969; 1977–1979) # ( 1999–2000) # ( 1953–1956; 1981–2011; 2011–2012;

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

) # ( 1974–1987) # ( 1994–1996) # ( 1966–1969; 1972–1975; 1975–1979; 1981–1993) # (1984–1990; 2008–2010; 2021–present) # (1980–1984; 1999; 2003; 2012) # ( 1986–1991; 1991–1993) # ( 1980–1986) # ( 1969–2011) # (1972–1976) # ( 1968–1992;

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

;

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, 2021–present) # ( 1978–1979; 1979–1992; 2005–2007; 2008–2009) # ( 1974–1987; 1987–1993; 1996–1999; 2010–2011) #

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

( 1966; 1966–1975; 1975–1976; 1976–1979; 1983–1985; 1985–1993; 1993–1998; 1998–1999) # ( 1973–1994) # (1995; 2003) # ( 1967–1968; 1992–1996; 1997–1998) # ( 1969–1976; 1980–1991) # ( 1958–1964; 1969–1971; 1985–1986; 1989–1993; 2019–present) # ( 1967–2005) # ( 1987–1994) # ( 1971–1979; 1985–1986; 1986–2004) # ( 1990–1994) # ( 1965–1997) # ( 2017–2018)

Americas

# ( 1835–1852; 1930–1932; 1943–1946; 1955–1958; 1966–1973; 1976–1983) # (1839–1843; 1848; 1857–1861; 1861; 1864–1871; 1876–1879; 1899; 1920–1921; 1930–1931; 1936–1940; 1943–1946; 1951–1952; 1964–1982) # (1889–1894; 1964–1985) # ( 1924–1925;

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Itali ...

; 1927–1931;

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

; 1973–1990) # (1854; 1953–1958) # (1868–1870; 1876–1882; 1917–1919) # (1933; 1952–1959) # (1882–1899; 1930–1961; 1963–1965) # ( 1876–1883; 1925–1926; 1937–1938; 1947; 1963–1966; 1972–1976; 1976–1979;

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

) # (1885–1911; 1931–1979; 1979–1982) # ( 1931–1944; 1944–1945; 1954–1957; 1957–1966; 1970–1986) # (

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

) # (1946; 1950–1956; 1956–1957; 1986–1990; 1991–1994) # (1933–1949; 1956–1957; 1963–1971; 1972–1982; 2009–2010) # ( 1835–1846; 1913–1914) # ( 1937–1979) # (1903–1904; 1968–1989) # ( 1940–1948; 1954–1989) # ( 1843–1844; 1865–1868; 1868–1872; 1879–1881; 1914–1915; 1930–1933; 1933–1939; 1948–1956; 1962–1963; 1968–1980) # ( 1980–1991) # ( 1865–1868; 1876–1879; 1933–1938; 1973–1985) # ( 1858–1859; 1861–1863; 1863–1868; 1869–1870; 1892–1898; 1899–1908; 1908–1935; 1948–1958)

Asia

# ( 1973–1978; 1978) # ( 1977–1981; 1982–1990) # ( 1970–1975; 1997–1999) # ( 189–192; 1915–1916; 1927–1928; 1928–1948) #

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

( 642–665; 665; 665–668) #

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

( 1170–1270) # ( 1966–1998) Jenderal TNI Soeharto

# ( 1925–1941; 1953–1955; 1978–1979) # (1933–1935;

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

; 1937–1938; 1941; 1949–1950; 1952–1953; 1958–1963; 1963–1968) # ( 1192–1867; 1931–1940; 1940–1945) # ( 1961–1963; 1972–1981; 1981–1987) # ( 1959–1960) # ( 1988–1990) # ( 1932–1945) # ( 1962–1988; 1988–2011; 2021–present) #

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

( 1776–1777; 1776–1779; 1777–1778; 1782–1785; 1785–1804; 1806–1837; 1838–1840; 1840–1846; 1846–1951) # ( 1962–1967; 1974–1977; 1977–1978; 1978; 1978–1990) # ( 1958–1969; 1969–1971; 1977–1988; 1999–2008) # (

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

; 1943–1945; 1972–1981) # ( 1963–1967) # (1949; 1951–1954; 1963–1970, 1970–2000) # ( 1948–1975) # ( 1933–1938; 1938–1944; 1947; 1948–1957; 1957; 1959–1963; 1963–1973; 1976; 1977; 1977–1979;

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

; 2006; 2006–2008; 2014–2019) # ( 1533–1789; 1558–1788) # ( 1990–2012)

Europe

# ( 1925–1939) # ( 1918–1920) # ( 1993–1994) # ( 1923–1926; 1934–1935; 1944–1946) # ( 1974) # ( 1799–1814;

1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...

; 1851–1858; 1870–1871) # ( 1992) # ( 1916–1918) # ( 1653–1659) # ( 1909–1910; 1922; 1922; 1922–1924; 1925–1926; 1933; 1935; 1967–1974) # (

1849 Events January–March * January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps. * January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...

) # ( 1913–1915; 1915–1916; 1917) # ( 1926–1935; 1981–1983) # (

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". * January ...

; 1917–1918; 1926–1933; 1974–1975) # ( 1941–1944) #

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

( 1918–1920) # (

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

) # ( 1923–1930; 1936–1975) # ( 1913–1918) # ( 1960–1961; 1971–1973; 1980–1983) # ( 1860) # ( 1918)

Oceania

# ( 1987–1999; 2006–2014)

Notes

Source

{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Dictatorship Constitutional state types Military sociology Civil–military relations