Dictatorship: Genesis & Legacies

Introduction

Although the word Dictator has now got a very negative connotation, its origins were very neutral, rather positive. Originally an emergency legal appointment in the Roman Republic, a Dictator was a magistrate who was given sole power for a limited duration. The term started to get its modern negative meaning with Cornelius Sulla’s appointment as Dictator of Rome who abused the authority given to him. It climaxed during the period of the Dictatorship of Julius Caesar in 49 BC when he was proclaimed “Dictator in perpetuity”, officially doing away with any limitations on his power, which he kept until his assassination.

Currently, more than 70 countries in the world are ruled by dictators. Many dictators don’t usually call themselves dictators (although a few have). They can be presidents, prime ministers, chancellors, or even monarchs. These rulers come to be known as dictators by the way that they wield their power. Many of them are guilty of atrocities against their people. Modern dictators usually come to power during states of emergency, too. Many historians consider Napoleon Bonaparte to be the first modern dictator

How do Dictators come into power?

Dictatorship has been a universal and historical phenomenon and Dictators come in different shades of grey, in every size and any organisational set up-family, society, corporation, or state. There are three ways in which dictators can come into power: Force, Fraud and Fair means (3Fs)

1. By Force: Most dictators don’t usually come to power through free constitutional elections; they often take control during coups d’etats, revolutions, or states of emergency; and they have absolute, sole power over their state. Military dictators grab powers through force, coup-de tat but sometimes mass agitation can bring in dictators by force- Napoleon in France, Khomeini in Iran
2. By Fraud: When dictators come into power through fair means of the electoral process but arrogate dictatorial powers later on. Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor, or head of government, by President Paul von Hindenburg in 1933. After Hindenburg died, Hitler made himself Führer (a combination of the president and chancellor). Tayyab Erdogan of Turkey, Allende of Chile
3. By Fair, Means: Sometimes dictators come into power through fair means and rule the country with an iron hand but benevolently- LeeKuan Yeo of Singapore, Mahatir Mohammed of Malaysia

How does a Dictator maintain his hold on power?

Dictators invariably employ three sets of techniques to maintain their position of power -Charisma, Coercion, and Emotional Manipulation.

1. Charisma- A dictator cannot hold on to the position of authority for a long time if he has not got some sort of charisma for the people who follow him. This ability to inspire a wide range of followers with devotion and enthusiasm; to attract a wide following could be his charm, expertise, experience, or sheer luck. It makes him endeared to the people in general and a coterie in particular which then creates and sustains an aura of greatness around him. To create and maintain a mysterious halo that could perpetuate his command over their hearts and minds, propaganda plays an important role. It is used not only to create and perpetuate this myth of the leader but also to spread a particular idea or image which often involved distortions of the truth.
2. Emotional; Manipulation-This is a very effective strategy employed by a dictator to maintain his charisma and hence his power. He plays with the emotions of the general public as a lover does. This emotional manipulation can originate either from fear or favour. Thus he can allude to a real danger to their life and liberty (immigrants, Islam, jobs, etc) to protect which he makes them believe that there is no alternative to him. Or he can promise them everything under the sun (food, shelter, clothing) if they keep on obeying him.
3. Coercion-Both the above techniques lose their bluntness after some time. The threat to life and liberty may turn out to be a hoax. The promises he made may not materialise due to any reason. Then he uses coercive powers whether granted to him under rules or arrogated by himself. This coercion starts with censorship and may range from the threat of force to the use of force including physical torture or even death

Conducive Conditions for Dictatorship?

What would be the most ideal condition in a country for a dictator to easily take over?

Three necessary and one supporting condition are needed for a dictator to come into power and stay for a long period

1. An extra-ordinary ambitious person who is resourceful enough to gather around himself
2. Group of like-minded people also interested in power-grabbing
3. Abnormal Conditions of the society in which people are waiting, willing, and praying for the arrival of a Messiah who could improve their living conditions
4. Sponsorship of external global/regional powers to support his takeover and sustain power

How did most dictators amass followers?

There are three standard methods to amass followers

1. Bribery-they buy the loyalties of important individuals, sectors, and sections of society through perks, privileges, and concessions such as lucrative posts to the individuals, tax/non-tax concessions to the industry or agriculture, wage increases for the labour/government employees
2. Emotional Manipulation- they exploit the racial or religious sensitivities of the public and pose themselves as their saviours. Hitler used Jews as a scapegoat, Arab dictators/Iranian Mullahs are using the sectarian card, Thai Junta is using Rohingyas for this emotional blackmailing to perpetuate their rule
3. Persecution- This is the most common tool in the repertoire of any dictator; those who cannot be bribed or blackmailed into supporting the camp, are browbeaten into submission through state apparatus

What do most dictators have in common?

Although their regimes vary widely, most dictators have at least a few things in common.

1. Autocrats: They enjoy absolute power, rule as autocrats who are not subject to any accountability, take decisions by themselves or at the most by a small kitchen cabinet
2. Totalitarianism: Often, dictators have totalitarian regimes, keeping their power through control of the mass media, using secret police, and spying on the citizens of their state as well as restricting or completely removing their freedoms.
3. Personality cult: Many of these dictators foster cults of personality, a form of hero worship in which the masses are fed propaganda declaring their leader to be flawless (and in some cases, divine or divinely appointed). The North Korean dictator Kim Il-sung (the father of Kim Jong-il) was essentially the sole subject of all forms of art created in the country. Schoolchildren were taught to give thanks to Kim Il-sung, the source of all of their blessings, as part of their training. Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was also full of statues, murals, posters, and paintings bearing his image.
4. Populist slogans: Dictators always raise non-issues to the level of the national agenda. They would try to galvanise the people by either promising them heaven on earth or stoking their fears of a non-existent threat. Some dictators have been masters of crowd manipulation, such as Mussolini and Hitler. Typically the dictator’s people seize control of all media, censor or destroy the opposition, and give strong doses of propaganda daily, often built around emotional manipulation of public
5. Cronyism: After assuming power, one of the first things dictators do is to post their trusted persons to sensitive posts and give lucrative assignments to their loyal and relatives. Consequently, an atmosphere of discontent and despondency prevails when people are appointed not on merit but due to their nearness to the men in power.
6. Grandiose Projects: To compensate people for depriving them of their fundamental rights, dictators who do not enjoy institutional legitimacy, start mega projects to show the public how concerned they are for their welfare.

How do most dictatorships end?

Once they’re in power, it usually takes a lot for a dictator to step down. So far three ways of their ending are known

1. Un-natural Ending

Dictatorships sometimes come to an end just as chaotically as they began mass agitation or counter-coup. Adolf Hitler committed suicide after the Allies beat the German Armed Forces. Fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was shot by Communist partisans and his body was stoned by civilians. Manuel Noriega was captured after the United States invaded Panama and is serving a 30-year prison sentence in a Florida federal correctional facility. Saddam Hussein was deposed after coalition forces took control of Iraq and were pulled from a small muddy foxhole by the United States Armed Forces near his birthplace in Tikrit. He was later executed by the provisional government of Iraq. General Zia -ul Haq of Pakistan died in a plane crash believed to be a conspiracy

2. Natural Ending

Many dictatorships end when the dictator becomes too weak or sick to continue or dies suddenly. Vladimir Lenin suffered a series of strokes and took lesser roles in government before his death. Josef Stalin also had a stroke and died shortly afterward. In 2008, Fidel Castro stepped down as leader of Cuba (passing the presidency to his brother Raul) after several years of worsening health. Imam Khomeini of Iran, Marshall Tito of erstwhile Yugoslavia

3. Voluntary Ending

Rare but does happen when dictators leave office voluntarily- Charles De Gaulle of France, Lee Kuan Yeo of Singapore, Mahatir Mohammed of Malaysia

What are their legacies

Some of the legacies of dictators are as follows

1. Democratic Disruption

Authoritarianism contributes immensely to democratic disruptions and dysfunctional democracy in any country. These states keep on suffering from the following three types of maladies:

a. Dysfunctional political structures (parliament, political parties, legal and regulatory framework)

b. Flawed political processes (elections, the participation of the electorate), and

c. Weak political culture (tolerance, accommodation, respect for election results).

Consequently, after their removal, the new leadership fails to improve the quality of life of the common man due to the dysfunctionality of the service delivery institutions. After some time, people start demanding the civic amenities which had been badly disrupted, creating disillusionment among the masses about the competence of the new leadership which has institutional legitimacy but now faces the crisis of performance legitimacy. Thus, a new phase of instability starts which is then exploited by the remnants of the old regime in collaboration with their old foreign benefactors.

2. Leadership Vacuum

Another legacy of the dictatorship is not leaving any capable person to take over once the leader is gone for any reason. It is deluge after him because of a lack of experienced political leadership, as all those who had the expertise in statecraft are sidelined in the new regime. And those who had waged the campaign to oust the dictator are not well equipped to understand the intricacies of governing a complex political economy, the country normally remains adrift in this phase.

3. Weakened Institutions

Misuse of institutions for self-aggrandizement and perpetuation of their rule, the doctors weaken the institutions so much that they practically become dysfunctional even during their lifetime. They become incapable of delineating public goods efficiently

4. Corruption Culture: Dictators thrive on corruption and leave behind institutionalised corruption

5. Underdevelopment

In their zeal to create massive structures, they divert scarce resources from essential societal projects such as human development and infrastructure. Resultantly, when they leave, there are monuments but no trained manpower so essential for accelerating economic growth.

6. Fragmentation/Balkanisation

Last but not least legacy of a dictator is extreme fragmentation of the society on an ethnic, linguistic, and sectarian basis- in extreme cases, the country itself is broken into pieces- Pakistan after Ayyub Khan and Yugoslavia after Marshall Tito.