A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of
sovereign state in which only one
political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties are either outlawed or allowed to take only a limited and controlled participation in
elections. Sometimes the term "''de facto'' one-party state" is used to describe a
dominant-party system
A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a political occurrence in which a single political party continuously dominates election results over running opposition groups or parties. Any ruling party staying in power for more th ...
that, unlike the one-party state, allows (at least nominally) democratic multiparty elections, but the existing practices or balance of political power effectively prevent the opposition from winning power.
Although it is predated by the 1714 to 1783 "age of the
Whig oligarchy" in
Great Britain, the rule of the
Committee of Union and Progress
The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى جمعيتی, translit=İttihad ve Terakki Cemiyeti, script=Arab), later the Union and Progress Party ( ota, اتحاد و ترقى فرقهسی, translit=İttihad ve Tera ...
(CUP) over the
Ottoman Empire following the
1913 coup d'etat is often considered the first one-party state.
Concept
One-party states justify themselves through various methods. Most often, proponents of a one-party state argue that the existence of separate parties runs counter to national unity. Others argue that the one party is the
vanguard of the people, being its most politically aware members, and therefore the party's right to rule cannot be legitimately questioned. The
Soviet government argued that the existence of multiple political parties would perpetuate
class struggle
Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor.
The forms o ...
, so only a single party could lead a classless proletariat; it therefore made the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
"Hymn of the Bolshevik Party"
, headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow
, general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last)
, founded =
, banned =
, founder = Vladimir Lenin
, newspaper ...
the only authorised political party.
Some one-party states only outlaw
opposition parties, while allowing allied parties to exist as part of a permanent
coalition (such as a
popular front). However, these allied parties are largely or completely subservient to the ruling party and must accept the ruling party's monopoly of power as a condition of their existence. Examples of this are the
People's Republic of China under the
United Front, the
National Front in former
East Germany and the
Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea in
North Korea. Other states outlaw all other parties yet allow non-party members to run for legislative seats as
independents, as was the case with
Taiwan's
Tangwai movement in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
in the former
Soviet Union. Still others have only a single legal party, membership of which is a prerequisite for holding public office, such as in
Turkmenistan under the rule of
Saparmurat Niyazov or
Zaire under
Mobutu Sese Seko.
Within their own countries, dominant parties ruling over one-party states are often referred to simply as ''the Party''. For example, in reference to the
Soviet Union, ''the Party'' meant the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
"Hymn of the Bolshevik Party"
, headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow
, general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first)Mikhail Gorbachev (last)
, founded =
, banned =
, founder = Vladimir Lenin
, newspaper ...
; in reference to the pre-1991
Republic of Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are th ...
, it referred to the
United National Independence Party
The United National Independence Party (UNIP) is a political party in Zambia. It governed the country from 1964 to 1991 under the socialist presidency of Kenneth Kaunda, and was the sole legal party in the country between 1973 and 1990. On 4 ...
.
Most one-party states have been ruled by one of the following:
#A party which supports the ideology of
Marxism–Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology which was the main communist movement throughout the 20th century. Developed by the Bolsheviks, it was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, its satellite states in the Eastern Bloc, and various ...
and
vanguardism (sometimes described as "
communist state
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comin ...
s", such as the Soviet Union)
#A party which supports a
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...
or
fascist ideology (such as the
Kingdom of Italy under the
National Fascist Party or
Germany under the
Nazi Party)
#A party that came to power in the wake of independence from
colonial rule
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
. One-party systems often arise from decolonization because a single party gains an overwhelmingly dominant role in liberation or in independence struggles.
One-party states are usually considered to be
authoritarian
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voti ...
, to the extent that they are occasionally
totalitarian. On the other hand, not all authoritarian or totalitarian states operate upon one-party rule. Some, especially amongst
absolute monarchies
Absolute monarchy (or 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 power, though a limited constitut ...
and
military dictatorships, have no need for a ruling party, and therefore make all political parties illegal.
Current one-party states
As of the following countries are legally constituted as one-party states:
Former one-party states
See also
*
Ban on factions in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
In 1921, factions were banned in the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks).
Since 1920 a majority of the Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union had become concerned about oppositionist groups within the Communist Party. For example, t ...
*
Political organisation
A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in politic ...
*
Dominant-party system
A dominant-party system, or one-party dominant system, is a political occurrence in which a single political party continuously dominates election results over running opposition groups or parties. Any ruling party staying in power for more th ...
*
Political faction
A political faction is a group of individuals that share a common political purpose but differs in some respect to the rest of the entity. A faction within a group or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, "parties within a party," ...
alism
*
Outline of democracy
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to democracy.
Democracy – form of government which allows people to participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, d ...
*
Multi-party system
*
Two-party system
A two-party system is a political party system in which two major political parties consistently dominate the political landscape. At any point in time, one of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referre ...
*
List of political party songs
Notes
References
{{Portal bar, Politics
Authoritarianism
Political systems
Political party systems
Unitary state