This particular subject is one many avoid; however, with recent events over in the USA, I have been led to ask one question: At what point is a country seen as going from a democracy to a dictatorship?
Well, in short terms, democracy translates to “rule by the people.” This is because, in a democratic government, there are elections and voting, which show that the members of that government are there because we placed them there. A feature of living under democratic rule is that we have the freedom to criticize the government and how they choose to solve problems within that country.
On the other hand, dictatorship refers to a system where one person makes all the rules and decisions without anyone else’s input. You could also say that autocracy fits this meaning since the definition is a system of government by one person with absolute power—similar to totalitarianism.
One opinion is that it could be like a looking-back thing, as we could compare historical events with recent events to predict the outcome, or if it’s looking back and saying as a collective, “this is the starting point that influenced this outcome…” or so on.
An example of this would be looking back at the cause of WWI and learning that there were many influences that led to the global destruction formally called “the Great War.”
Alternatively, one of my close friends suggested that it’s when the dictator in question starts to purge what they deem inferior. For example, past dictators like Joseph Stalin, leader of the former USSR, or Adolf Hitler, former leader of Germany, commonly referred to as Nazi Germany under his rule. Even with both dictators being on opposite sides of the political spectrum, both had similar ways to move forward to their goal.
In Germany’s case, it was the Jews who first suffered a “social death,” as Nazi supporters degraded and dehumanized them on a regular basis to the point it was considered natural. In addition, anybody who also wasn’t considered “proper German” was considered opposition and would be given punishment.
Similarly, Lenin and Joseph Stalin (Lenin’s successor after his assassination) considered kulaks, prosperous peasant landowners, as enemies wedded to individualism and personal wealth. Therefore, Lenin ordered the public hanging of at least 100 known kulaks, and under Stalin’s rule, he roused Soviet youth and continued the Bolshevik trend.
Both of these men were infamously known for their authoritarian dictatorial regimes. They were responsible for millions of deaths as a result of purges like “The Night of Broken Glass,” and civilians resorted to famine as a form of retaliation for the murders of their loved ones.
I would love to hear your view on this debate down below. Be kind to others and respectful to everyone’s opinions. In addition, can you think of any nations that you predict will have a dictatorship in the future?
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