Military dictatorship
A form of authoritarian rule in which armed forces or military officers control government and restrict political competition.
Coup d'état: The sudden, often illegal seizure of a government by a faction within the state, especially the military. A coup is a common route by which officers take control of government.
Pinochet regime: The Chilean military government led by Augusto Pinochet from 1973 to 1990. Chile’s regime combined military rule with severe repression and market-oriented reforms.
Civilian dictatorship: Authoritarian rule exercised by civilian leaders who suppress political competition without direct military government. It restricts politics like military dictatorship but places formal leadership in civilian hands.
Enforced disappearance: The secret abduction or detention of a person by state agents, followed by denial or concealment of their fate. Military dictatorships have used disappearances to terrorize opponents and obscure state responsibility.
Junta: A governing council, especially one composed of military officers who seized power. Some military dictatorships are ruled collectively by an officers’ council.
Argentine National Reorganization Process: Argentina’s military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, which carried out mass abductions and killings. Its campaign of state terror shows how military rule can target suspected opponents.
One-party state: A political system in which one party holds exclusive or dominant control of government. A dominant party, rather than military command, can organize authoritarian rule.
Censorship: The suppression or restriction of information, expression, or artistic works by an authority. Control of media limits public scrutiny and the spread of opposition views.
Martial law: The temporary imposition of military authority over civilian functions, usually during an emergency. Military rulers may use it to place civilian life under direct military control.
Greek junta: The military regime that governed Greece from 1967 to 1974 after a coup. The colonels’ regime restricted political freedoms and ended after the Cyprus crisis.