Autocracy
A system of government in which supreme power is concentrated in one ruler or a small group, with few effective constraints.
Personalist dictatorship: A dictatorship in which power is concentrated in one leader, whose personal authority outweighs formal institutions. It shows how autocracy can center on a ruler rather than a governing party or military.
Democracy: A system of government in which political authority is grounded in popular participation and competitive procedures. Democracy offers mechanisms for replacing rulers and holding them accountable.
Aristotle: An ancient Greek philosopher whose works shaped Western philosophy and political theory. His classification of governments helped establish enduring questions about rule by one.
Russian autocracy: A tradition of highly centralized rule in Russia, associated with tsars and later Soviet and post-Soviet leaders. Russian history offers distinct examples of durable centralized authority across changing institutions.
Democratic backsliding: The gradual weakening of democratic institutions, norms, and political competition. Autocratic rule can emerge through the erosion of constraints rather than a sudden coup.
Political repression: The use of state power to restrict political opposition, dissent, or participation. Repression helps rulers weaken challenges when other constraints are absent.
Constitutionalism: The principle that government authority is limited by binding rules and institutions. Effective constitutional limits distinguish constrained government from autocratic rule.
Politics (Aristotle): Aristotle's treatise examining constitutions, citizenship, and the purposes of political communities. It distinguishes forms of one-person rule by whether rulers pursue common or private interests.
Absolute monarchy: A monarchy in which the sovereign holds broad governing authority with few effective constitutional constraints. It is a recognizable historical form of autocratic rule.
Coup d'état: A sudden, illegal seizure of government power, typically by insiders such as military or political elites. When formal succession is weak, elites may replace rulers outside constitutional procedures.