Monday, January 30, 2012

Weaknesses of Dictatorships

An excerpt from "From Dictatorship to Democracy" by Gene Sharp (26-27)

Among the weaknesses of dictatorships are the following:

1. The cooperation of a multitude of people, groups, and institutions
needed to operate the system may be restricted or
withdrawn.

2. The requirements and effects of the regime’s past policies
will somewhat limit its present ability to adopt and implement
conflicting policies.

3. The system may become routine in its operation, less able to
adjust quickly to new situations.

4. Personnel and resources already allocated for existing tasks
will not be easily available for new needs.

5. Subordinates fearful of displeasing their superiors may not
report accurate or complete information needed by the dictators
to make decisions.

6. The ideology may erode, and myths and symbols of the system
may become unstable.

7. If a strong ideology is present that influences one’s view of
reality, firm adherence to it may cause inattention to actual
conditions and needs.

8. Deteriorating efficiency and competency of the bureaucracy,
or excessive controls and regulations, may make the system’s
policies and operation ineffective.

9. Internal institutional conflicts and personal rivalries and hostilities
may harm, and even disrupt, the operation of the dictatorship.

10. Intellectuals and students may become restless in response
to conditions, restrictions, doctrinalism, and repression.
11. The general public may over time become apathetic, skeptical,
and even hostile to the regime.

12. Regional, class, cultural, or national differences may become
acute.

13. The power hierarchy of the dictatorship is always unstable
to some degree, and at times extremely so. Individuals do
not only remain in the same position in the ranking, but may
rise or fall to other ranks or be removed entirely and replaced
by new persons.

14. Sections of the police or military forces may act to achieve
their own objectives, even against the will of established dictators,
including by coup d’état.

15. If the dictatorship is new, time is required for it to become
well established.

16. With so many decisions made by so few people in the dictatorship,
mistakes of judgment, policy, and action are likely
to occur.

17. If the regime seeks to avoid these dangers and decentralizes
controls and decision making, its control

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