Military Dictatorship
A military dictatorship, often run by a junta of senior officers, is a government in which the armed forces seize and hold power. It typically suspends elections and civil liberties, justifying rule by appeals to order, stability or national emergency.
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Concentrates power in a central military command.
Takes power by force and suspends elections.
Uses martial law, curfews and repression to maintain order.
Typically nationalist, framing rule as defending the nation.
The armed forces are the governing institution itself.
Usually promotes national unity and a single national identity.
Often protects property and business elites, though some juntas nationalised industry.
Varies; many juntas directed the economy, others imposed free-market reforms.
No consistent trade stance across regimes.
Varies by country; often allied with traditional religious institutions.
Generally conservative and order-focused.
No defining technology stance beyond military modernisation.