DICTATORSHIP

Disadvantages
1. Loss of Freedom of choice - Citizens no longer have the choice to choose who governs them.
They cannot vote in elections as it is all decided for them.
2. The Government will have absolute power. The government may not think in the best interests of
the people. They may be more interested in building large lavish palaces for themselves than feeding
their people.
3. The people may be oppressed by the regime as the government would be intent on keeping their
power away from the citizens.
Advantages
1. Stability of government - the government will stay the same. In times of political warfare and inner
party turmoil and war this may become a relief to finally have a stable government,
2. The dictator may be a Benevolent Dictator meaning that the dictator actually acts out in the best
interests of the people.
Advantages of Dictatorship Government
Dictatorship can be defined as a form of government in which the power is centralized. It either lies
with a single person or a small group of people. The general population has no say in the functioning
of the government. The people do not have any choice with regards to by whom or how their country
will be run. In a dictatorship form of government, the people are expected to do, whatever is decided
for them by the dictator. China, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Cuba, among many others, follow dictatorship
form of government. Now that we know what is dictatorship, let us try to understand what are the
advantages of dictatorship.

Stable Government
As in a dictatorship, the decision making lies with only one person and others do not have any say in
the working of the government, it offers a kind of stability to the country. Problems such as frequent
elections, as in the case of democracy, or a disruption of peace due to political factions, do not arise
in a dictatorship.
Less Room for Corruption

Another of the dictatorship advantages is that a dictator is often very stringent with regards to the
rules, regulations, penalties, punishments and rewards. This makes the people working under him
less liable to corruption. However, this is not always the case- for example, Mobutu Sese Seko was
an authoritarian dictator from Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) who was so notoriously
corrupt and embezzled so much wealth from his subjects that his regime (which was also rife with
nepotism/cronyism) is often referred to as the prototypical kleptocracy- "rule by thieves".
Most Efficient During Emergencies
When a country faces any kind of emergency situation such as a war or a health epidemic, a
dictatorship government can prove to be the most efficient one. The reason being that all the
decisions are taken by one person, so there is no ambiguity with regards to the plan of action as well
as individual responsibilities that are fixed to cope with the emergency situation. So, one of the main
advantages of dictatorship over democracy is that it is better equipped to face emergencies.
Lesser Crime Rate
Most of the dictatorship governments are police states. So, in a way there is low crime rate under
such regimes. Another reason for a better law and order situation in these states is that various laws
are passed immediately, without any discussion or waiting for the public opinion on them. This leads
to better control over crimes too.
"Things Happen" Quickly
In a dictatorship form of government, all things, whether related to governance or businesses or
anything else, happen much quicker than in other types of government. The reason for this is the
same i.e. decision making lies with a single person.
These are some of the advantages of dictatorship. Although, for these advantages to translate into
real life, a dictator needs to be self less, benevolent, well experienced and intelligent. As a dictator
has unlimited power, if he does not possess these qualities, the disadvantages of dictatorship, such
as oppression of people, no freedom of choice for the people, accumulation of wealth in a few hands,
loss of civil rights, flawed decision making, etc. can lead the country toward a wrong path. Looking at
the stakes associated with a dictatorship form of government, many countries under such a regime
are considering becoming democracies, which is a form of government for the people, of the people
and by the people. Today, looking at the progress democracies such as America and India are
making, democracy is considered the best form of governance.