Originally Posted by Jarod
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An autocracy is a system of government in which one person—an autocrat—holds all political, economic, social, and military power. The autocrat’s rule is unlimited and absolute and is not subject to any legal or legislative limitation.
While a dictatorship is by definition an autocracy, a dictatorship may also be ruled by an elite group of people, such as a military or religious order. Autocracy can also be compared to oligarchy—rule by a small group of individuals distinguished by their wealth, education or religion—and democracy—rule by a majority of the people. Today, most autocracies exist in the form of absolute monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Morocco, and dictatorships, such as North Korea, Cuba, and Zimbabwe.
Key Takeaways: Autocracy
- An autocracy is a system of government in which all political power is concentrated in the hands of a single person called an autocrat.
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- The rule of the autocrat is absolute and cannot be regulated by external legal restraints or democratic methods of control, except for the threat of removal by coup d'etat or mass insurrection.
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- While a dictatorship is essentially an autocracy, a dictatorship may also be ruled by a dominant group, such as a military or religious order.
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- By their nature, autocracies are often forced to place the needs of an elite supportive minority over the needs of the general public.
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-au...amples-5082078
"Hatred is a failure of imagination" - Graham Greene, "The Power and the Glory"
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