Concept in Definition ABC

The concept of autocracy is a political concept that is used to designate those types of governments in which power is concentrated in a single person and which, therefore, is not allowed the participation of other individuals or social groups, that individual agglutinates in his person the total decision-making power.

Government system in which power is concentrated in a single person and other powers and voices are cut off to stay

Autocracy was a very characteristic system of different moments in the history of Humanity and although today the form of government most common is democracyThis does not prevent some political figures, once they assume power within the framework of a democratic system, from eventually deploying an autocratic government.

When this state of affairs happens, it is common for them to be imposed on the remaining powers, judicial and legislative, in order to remain in power indefinitely.

The word autocracy comes from the Greek for which the term

cars means "oneself" and Kratos means "government". This gives us to understand that the autocracy is the government of only one.

Main features

Autocracy is a type of government that, whether sought or not, becomes the government of a single person. That person can be of different origin: military, professional, union, etc. This is to say that this is not a determining element since throughout history the different autocracies have had leaders of different extraction Social.

However, an undoubtedly determining element is the personality and the character of the person who will become a leader: it must always be a person of strong and decisive character, whose plans or decisions are firmly imposed.

Furthermore, for an autocracy to develop, there must not be any kind of opposition, or at least it must be very weak. This is the reason why all autocratic governments demonstrate zero tolerance and repression towards those who show dissent with respect to the policies and decisions taken.

Another interesting element of autocracies is that they can be generated within other types of governments, for example as happens with autocratic governments that arise within forms democratic. This is the case of leaders that emerge and are erected as part of a party proposal, chosen through elections. free and democratic but that, once in power, that leader becomes a centralist and authoritarian.

Autocracy in democracies, a constant of yesterday and today

In the past and today we find ample examples of presidents who take office after winning the elections, and then, over time, veer towards the autocracy, and to consolidate, they eliminate the parliament and also tie the justice system hand and foot so that it cannot act against it and, of course, always do so at its own expense. favor. For example, imprisoning those leaders who speak out against them, acting against the press and a company that is not addicted to their power.

In recent years, the situation we describe has been seen frequently in Venezuela, first in the administration of Hugo Chávez and then in the continuation of his politics by his successor Nicolás Maduro.

Both came to power by popular vote, however, they have exercised power in an autocratic way. In principle they have tried to silence the political opposition with severe persecution and finally imprisoning us, for no other reason than to be opposition, But of course, since they have an addicted justice, it is possible for them to do so and so today Venezuela has political prisoners, who are imprisoned nothing more than for think different from Chávez and Maduro.

They have also been able to create a single story, their own, which gives an account of the benefits of their regime, silencing the independent press through various tricks, such as buying media from communication and financially suffocate those independents, who showed the other side of history.

The damage that this type of management generates is certainly relevant because, without a doubt, it directly undermines the fundamental rights of freedom and equalityNot to mention the level of resentment and division that it is capable of generating in society, between those who are on one side and those who support the other.

Topics in Autocracy