Dictatorship
/ˌdɪkˈteɪtərʃɪp/
Definitions
A government in which a person or small group rules with absolute power, often suppressing opposition and individual freedoms.
/ˌdɪkˈteɪtərʃɪp/
A form of government in which a single person or small group holds absolute power.
The country's transition to democracy was a slow process after decades of dictatorship.
💡 Simply: Imagine a school where one very bossy kid makes all the rules, and everyone else has to follow them exactly. That's kind of like a dictatorship, but it's a whole country instead of a school!
👶 For kids: When one person gets to be the boss of a whole country and tells everyone what to do, that's a dictatorship.
More Examples
The dictator's regime was characterized by severe censorship and human rights abuses.
A key goal of international organizations is to prevent the rise of dictatorships.
How It's Used
"Many countries have suffered under the oppressive rule of dictatorships."
"The rise of dictatorships in Europe during the 20th century led to widespread conflict."
From Medieval Latin *dictātūra*, from Latin *dictātor* ('dictator') + *-ship*. The concept developed from the Roman Republic, where a dictator was a magistrate given temporary absolute power during a crisis.
The term gained prominence during the 20th century, especially in discussions of fascism, Nazism, and Soviet communism.
Memory tip
Think of a DICTATOR who rules with an IRON FIST, creating a DICTATORSHIP.