World history is rich in political and social wonders. The position of the dictator is unique. The veneration of the laws by the Romans made it possible to develop on its basis an indispensable way of dealing with state crises. And in modern times, this position has changed, turning into a semblance of an absolute monarchy.
The birth of dictatorship
The dictator is a special position for extraordinary periods when it is necessary to transfer power to the hands of a strong leader with unlimited powers. A name that translates as “prescribe” fully conveys the meaning of this term. It is believed that Rome was not the place where the post of dictator appeared - probably, the experience of other Latin cities was adopted.
At the end of the tsarist period in the history of ancient Rome, government officials decided to protect the country from tyrannical power, from which no one expected anything good after the experience of past years. It soon became clear that there were situations in which it was necessary to transfer the board to one person. This made it possible to solve the problem with small losses in a short time.
When Tarquinia was expelled, an emergency post was introduced after 9 years of the republic. The first dictator of Rome, according to some sources, is Titus Lartius, according to others, Valery Maniy. The reasons for this extreme decision are also several: the war with the Latins, the struggle with political supporters of the expelled Tarquinians, the plebs ’riots - riots caused by high pressure on debt obligations and complete lack of rights.
Roman dictators: personalities and powers
The dictator was appointed by a special decision of the meeting of consuls. After the entry into force of the representative of the emergency position, the lictors were dissolved. All powers passed to the dictator - before him all the rest were ordinary citizens. The only exception was the people's tribunes - they were sacred and inviolable and continued to defend the rights of the plebs.
A dictator is a person endowed with unlimited power. His decisions could not be challenged, and they could not be judged either during or after the expiration of his term. After the appointment, he received the title with the addition - the reason for the appointment. The reasons could be: war, high-profile trials, popular unrest, public games and popular holidays, comitia, replenishment of the Senate, adoption of radical laws.
The sentence of the dictator is peremptory, even the consuls obeyed his decision. At the beginning of the existence of the post, only patricians could become elected, but from the 4th century BC. e. and plebeians could claim the right to become the extraordinary leader of Rome. Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Julius Caesar made their title for life and gave it the features of the title of monarch.
The military dictator was the commander in chief of the army and the bearer of the highest executive power. The features of the relationship between the people's tribunes and dictators are not fully understood. Questions are caused by the relationship of authority and submission. There is no clear evidence of whether the tribunes could veto the decision of the dictator.
In normal times, the head of state was the consul, but his powers were limited by the senate. A dictator is a position that excels in the power of consuls, it can be equated with the power of the king. At the same time, he could not independently solve financial issues and spend funds from the treasury without the permission of the Senate. Also, the dictator could not leave Rome, move around the city on horseback.
"The Board of Colonels." Changing the meaning of the word "dictator" in the twentieth century
The concept of dictatorship for modernity has changed. A dictator is a person endowed with absolute power in a crisis situation, but for an unlimited time. It is worth noting that the tradition continued in this, the beginning of which was laid by Sulla and Julius Caesar. In the middle of the twentieth century, the concept of “dictator” meant unlimited authority not only throughout the country, but even in a particular sector of the economy.
Absolute power does not mean decision-making by only one person - it is impossible. But the deliberative bodies during the dictatorship act only by order and by the will of the leader.
In the event that officers seize power through a coup, a military dictatorship is formed. It is considered a form of stratocracy. In this case, the country is controlled by the military, but there are modifications of such power, depending on the level of influence of the invaders on the functioning of the state apparatus. Most often, this type of dictatorship is found in Africa, South America, and the Middle East.
Typical is the junta, the most common in Latin America. The country is governed by a military council. An example is the regimes of Jorge Videla in Argentina and Augusto Pinochet in Chile.
The military dictatorships of Africa and the Middle East are characterized by authoritarianism. The country is not governed by a council or committee, but by one leader. For example, the bloody regime of Idi Amin was arranged in Uganda.
The twentieth century is characterized by two forms of military dictatorship: the power of a council of persons or a single leader. The first is totalitarian, the second is authoritarian republican regimes.
Great and terrible. The dictators of our time
A time of great change and landmark events required strong rulers. The twentieth century has become the richest in dictatorships of all kinds and forms.
Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), Francisco Franco (Spain), Joseph Stalin (USSR), Nicolae Ceausescu (Romania) ruled Europe; in Asia - Mao Zedong (China), Kim Il Sung (North Korea), Pol Pot (Cambodia), Saddam Hussein (Iraq); in America - Fidel Castro (Cuba), Augusto Pinochet (Chile); in Africa - Idi Amin (Uganda), Omar al-Bashir (Sudan), Muammar Gaddafi (Libya). Great dictators formed regimes on the basis of Nazi, fascist ideology (Italy, Germany, Spain), cruel totalitarian forms of government (USSR, China).
Finally
All regimes have common features: the authoritarian power of one leader over the years, repressions aimed at opponents of the head of state, certain political and economic isolation, statism, and strong army control.