Autocracy Facts: Learn More About This Political Power Structure

Autocracy as a government system vests complete authority to a single entity, which is an individual in most cases and a group in minor scenarios.

The individual with whom the power resides is known by the term 'autocrat.' The autocrat's rule and decisions are considered to be absolute, and there is no opposition to their position by other parties or judges.

Multiple variations of government can be seen around the world. While in some countries, the rule of people is designated supreme, in some other countries, the ruling power lies with a single body.

Governments as a whole are ever-evolving and drawing a line on what can be a difficult job. In the simplest of terms, there can be democracy, autocracy, communism, socialism, theocracy, and colonialism, each of which has multiple other subtypes.

A democratic government is established on certain notions like public sovereignty, power distribution, and so on, where the deciding power remains with the public. In contrast, an autocratic government consolidates all the decision-making powers to a single body.

Communism believes in an authoritarian rule and derives its inspiration from Karl Marx, while in socialism, the means of production are held by the citizens. In a theocracy, the dominance of a particular religious ideology is noted, while in colonialism, sovereignty expansion of one nation over the others takes place.

This article focuses on one such type of power structure, autocracy. If you are a history buff, you must be intrigued to know more about this interesting power structure. For those who are yet to explore the realms of history, why not start here itself? Read on to know more.

Meaning Of Autocracy

Autocracy is a unique system of government, where absolute power lies with a single person.

The term 'autocrat' has roots in the Greek word 'Autokrator.' This Greek word means self-ruler, and hence the meaning of autocracy is the rule of a single leader.

Compared to democracy, which is ruled by the majority, in autocracy, absolute power is vested in the hands of this ruler known as an 'autocrat.' In this type of government system, autocrat has the final say, and neither external restraints nor democratic methods can regulate them.

In the case of an autocratic government system, this ruler can be removed only by mass insurrection or by a coup. Some synonyms of autocracy include dictatorship, autarchy, absolutism, czarism, and so on.

Autocratic power structures can develop from other government types, like democracy. They can arise in the form of a party proposal, which follows the entire procedure of democratic elections.

However, after the election, when the time comes to vest power, this power moves to an autocratic person.

This autocratic leader is a decisive and robust character who imposes rules with firmness. Historically, it was always found that, even though all critical powers remain with an autocrat, there was a need for this autocrat to gain the confidence of militaries, nobles, business people, and so on.

These bodies had the power to dethrone an autocrat via the means of a coup.

Hence, the autocrat had to make sure that they met the demands of the elite minority to keep them satisfied at the cost of the needs of the public. As a result, in most countries with autocratic rule, welfare programs for the society were non-existent, and policies were developed to support this elite class.

Classic examples of autocracy include Nazi Germany, the Roman empire, Italy under Mussolini, Spain under Franco, China under the rule of Mao Zedong, Suharto's Indonesia, and likewise. The earliest forms of autocracy as a political structure were probably seen in ancient Rome, the founder of which was Emperor Augustus.

This government rule came into play with the Roman Republic's end.

Autocracy as a power structure was perhaps more popularized by Hitler with Nazi Germany and Italy's Benito Mussolini. Restriction of civil liberties was quite prominent during the reign of Hitler, who was known to seize power by his stirring speeches.

Rules Of Autocracy

Autocracy, a type of government structure where unlimited power or authority is vested in the hands of either a single person or a small group, has specific rules like power must be retained by a single entity, downward power control, and likewise.

An autocracy is a form of power structure based on specific ideas and notions that are in sharp contrast to those of democracy. Autocracy is noted for its downward power control, where the power or sovereignty resides at the upper authority levels.

Rules of autocracy do not have any room for political equality because neither the party's followers nor the subsidiary members have much say over the decisions taken by an autocrat. Powers are consolidated to the autocrat responsible for taking actions on state matters.

Characteristics Of Autocracy

An autocratic government system is characterized by a single ruler who is not bound to take the advice of the followers, as against democracy which is entirely based on the majority's rule.

Autocratic rule vests all essential powers in the hands of a single person, the autocrat. Autocrats, in most cases, take decisions on the basis of their judgments and notions without any consultation with their followers. Such a form of power structure involves absolute control of the citizens. This type of government structure has some unique characteristics.

One unique characteristic of an autocratic government is the rule of a single entity. This entity, however, need not always be an individual, but it can be a group as well.

This group can be the dominant political party of the country, the country's central committee, and likewise.

One similarity in both cases, in stark contrast to democracy, is that both the entity types can make use of force (like military force) to curb social movements and any type of oppression. In a democracy, the use of force is not viable.

Another unique feature of an autocratic government is that the leader hardly takes any input from their followers or members of their political party. The leader or the autocrat in an autocracy is the core of all decisions. Autocrat in an autocratic government has the power to dictate the methods of work in their country.

Autocracy is at times characterized by a rigid form of government, where group feeling is almost always left out. In this form of political structure, since power remains in the hands of a single person, the group might encounter feelings of untrustworthiness.

An autocratic power structure is also characterized by precise thinking without any scope for creativity. Rule establishment and their strict abidance is also a feature of autocratic political structure.

Types Of Autocracy

The most common types of autocracy are dictatorship, absolute monarchy, and oligarchy.

An autocratic political structure can take on various forms. The most common ones are dictatorship, oligarchy, and monarchy.

A dictatorship is a particular form of government, where the power of the country is vested in a single entity, which can either be a person or a small group. These entities hold absolute power of the state, and in contrast to democracy, the opposition plays no such role.

Once the dictator gains power, they remove all other forms of authority in their state, including political parties and judges.

Examples of dictatorship include Nazi Germany under the reign of Adolf Hitler, Japan under the rule of Hideki Tojo, Spain under the rule of Francisco Franco, Mussolini's fascist reign of Italy, Suharto's Indonesia, and many more.

Despotism is a term synonymous with dictatorship, and it is a political structure where power remains with a single leader and not any group. The earliest example of despotism is perhaps ancient Greece under the rule of Alexander the Great. However, he established despotism not by force but by consent.

There are further segregations of dictatorship, which include military dictatorship, hybrid dictatorship, and personalist dictatorship. When the military holds the ruling power of a state, determines the country's leader, and also exerts influence on the country's policy, it is a military dictatorship.

This political structure was seen in Chile under Augusto Pinochet or Bolivia under Hugo Banzer. In the case of personalist dictatorship, the power of central political positions is held by a single person.

Its prominent examples are Zaire under the leadership of Mobutu Sese Seko or Nicaragua under Somoza. As the name indicates, hybrid dictatorships are a mix of both the above-mentioned forms.

The next type of autocracy is a monarchy, where the authority remains with a single person who has come to achieve the position via heredity. This person is known as a monarch, and they function as the state head.

The terms emperor, sultan, king, raja, khan, queen, empress, pharaoh are some of the titles which a monarch carries. Most monarchs are born and brought up within a royal family, and this form of political structure is beneficial in the sense that the country or state receives immediate succession.

One of the classic examples of monarchy is the Commonwealth realms, under Queen Elizabeth II. In countries like Bhutan, Cambodia, or Thailand, constitutional monarchies are prevalent.

The final type of autocracy is oligarchy. In oligarchies, powers are vested to a small and privileged group.

It is a minority-based government, which was seen in South Africa when it was under Apartheid. This type of power structure was also prominent in Liberia when it was under the reign of Americo-Liberians. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia saw what is perceived to be an oligarchy.

After 1991, Russian oligarchs came to the forefront, which included many private MNCs of the country. A similar rise of business oligarchs was seen in Ukraine when it gained independence in 1991.