List of Pros and Cons of Dictatorship

A dictatorship is a form of government in which one ruler has unlimited power. In recent history, this type of leadership has acquired a very negative reputation. This is mostly due to the actions of dictators who have come into power and ruled without consent of the governed. Like everything, however, dictatorships have their pros as well as their cons.

List of Pros of Dictatorship

1. Stability
When the government has one person controlling all of the decisions, it creates a very stable base. There is no infighting amongst government officials to paralyze progress. A dictator also tends to remain in power for long periods of time. Other forms of government, such as a democracy, select new leaders on a frequent basis. This does prevent some problems from arising, but it creates a lack of continuity. By keeping one leader in power, a dictatorship maintains its focus and direction.

2. Low Crime
In a dictatorship, one person gets to decide what the laws are and has all of the power needed to see that these laws are enforced. Dictatorships often carry very severe penalties for even minor infractions of the law. As a result, the crime rate under these types of government is generally very low.

3. Efficient
With one person making all of the decisions, government processes move forward very rapidly. Because no time needs to be taken for a group of people to come to an agreement, decisions can be reached quickly. Because there is no opposing body of authority to veto any of these decisions, there is never any backtracking in order to reach a compromise. In times of crisis, this ability to react instantly to new developments and implement new plans immediately is very beneficial.

List of Cons of Dictatorship

1. Inequality
Dictators have a long history of abusing their power. Even if a person does not intend to oppress his or her people, it is human nature to promote your own interests and to have favorites. Dictatorships always lead to inequality among the people. Because those living under a dictator have no recourse of action to address these inequalities, unrest becomes an ever increasing problem.

2. Unsustainable
Dictatorships typically do not last long. There is a very high chance that the people will attempt to overthrow the government at some point. Dictators almost never reach a point where they are willing to turn their power over to someone else. This means that a dictator generally retains his or her position until it is forcefully taken away from them. If the dictator dies, this creates a power vacuum as people struggle to claim that position for their own or to implement a different system of government.