Transcript How Dictators Gain and Maintain Power

Totalitarianism
How do dictators gain & maintain power?
What is a Totalitarian government?
 Government in which one
ruler has unlimited power &
authority (aka: autocracy)
 Government controls the
economy
 Government controls the
media (ex: newspapers)
 Government uses a police
force to create a sense of
terror and violence
The people’s experience…
 Little Freedom
 Fear of Police
 Fear of Government
 No Right to Protest (Get killed or jailed)
How do dictators
gain & maintain power?
Life Before the Dictator
When living conditions (especially
the economy) are bad, people are
willing to listen to a leader who
promises a better life
Propaganda
Definition: One sided information
Dictators use propaganda to make
people believe that government is
working for them.
Terror & Fear
Dictators create a police force that
helps to keep them in power.
When people are afraid of the
police, they cannot act out against
the government (aka: the dictator)
Violence
Dictators kill anyone who opposes
them or tries to challenge their
authority
Progress & Improvements
Sometimes dictators are able to
improve peoples’ daily lives, which
makes people loyal to the dictator
Ideology
Often, dictators put in place a new
type of government or new ideas.
The people believe in the new way of
thinking, and this makes them loyal
to the dictator.
People who follow the
dictator
Many people get caught up in the
ideas and beliefs of the dictator.
They believe in the dictator so
strongly that they stop questioning
whether what is going on is right
or wrong.
Dictator Him/Herself
Dictators often have charismatic
(likeable) personalities.
They are good at giving speeches
and convincing people to follow
them.