Following are the main features of dictatorship :
1. Supreme place to state:
In dictatorship, the state is supreme. There is none over the state. The state is given a higher place than people, community, unions, organizations, institutions, religion, etc. The main motto of the state is to wage wars and fetch victory.
2. Against democratic process:
Dictatorship is regarded as the enemy of democracy. There is no place for justice, equality and freedom for its people in dictatorship.
3. Belief in power and violence:
The basis of dictatorship is power, violence, use of force. Dictators get power of governance by use of force and they remain in power with the threat of force.
4. One – party administration:
In this arrangement, there is monopoly of a single party in governance. There is no opposition to administration, and no criticism of administration. In military dictatorship, there is no permission even to organize political parties.
5. End of opposition:
If a person criticizes a state in dictatorship, he is arrested and put behind the bars. All the activities of opposition are prohibited.
6. Centralization of powers:
In dictatorship, all sorts of powers are centralized. Snatching power from lower level, the power is increased at the higher level.
7. Belief in imperialism:
Dictatorship is an imperialistic ideology. It wants expansion of its state and adopts the path of war for this purpose. In this way, there is no importance of the concept of world peace, Internationale stability and ‘global family’ in dictatorship.
8. Public Opinion neglected:
Dictatorship regards its ideology as perfect and true. It controls education, literature, press, television, etc., which are the sources of formation of public opinion, in order to propagate its ideology and to oppose the ideologies of opposition.
9. Worship of one man:
In dictatorship, only one person is the supreme leader who is regarded as the symbol of national unity.
10. Enemy to personal liberty:
In dictatorship, all sorts of civic liberties are curtailed. The dictator cannot tolerate opposition of any kind.
11. Neglect of International public opinion:
Dictatorship operates its foreign policy strictly for safety of its own national interest and development and if there arises a necessity, it can also neglect international public opinion and institutions.
