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Nature and typology
The declaration by which a military coup d'état is made official is called a pronunciamento, from the Portuguese pronunciamento or Spanish pronunciamiento, 'proclamation'. Image:Geisel.jpg President Ernesto Geisel, fourth military president of Brazil's dictatorial period The typical military dictatorship in Latin America was ruled by a junta (derived from a Portuguese/Spanish word which can be translated as "conference" or "board"), or a committee composed of several officers, often from the military's most senior leadership, but in other cases (e.g. when their military superiors remained loyal to, or indeed were, the previous regime) less senior, as evidenced by the term colonels' regime. Other military dictatorships are entirely in the hands of a single officer, usually the senior army commander. In either case, the chairman of the junta or the single commander may often personally assume office as head of state. In the Middle East and Africa, military governments more often came to be led by a single powerful person, and were autocracies in addition to military dictatorships. Leaders like Idi Amin, Muammar al-Qaddafi, and Gamal Abdul Nasser worked to develop a personality cult and became the face of the nation inside and outside their countries.
In the past, military juntas have justified their rule as a way of bringing political stability for the nation or rescuing it from the threat of "dangerous ideologies". This is a form of threat construction. In Latin America the threat of communism was often used, while in the Middle East the desire to oppose Israel and later Islamic fundamentalism proved an important motivating pattern. Military regimes tend to portray themselves as non-partisan, as a "neutral" party that can provide interim leadership in times of turmoil, and also tend to portray civilian politicians as corrupt and ineffective. One of the almost universal characteristics of a military government is the institution of martial law or a permanent state of emergency. Although there are exceptions, military regimes usually have little respect for human rights and use whatever means necessary to silence political opponents. A military regime is also rarely willing to leave power unless forced to by popular revolt, whether active or imminent. Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East have been common areas for military dictatorships. One of the reasons for this is the fact that the military often has more cohesion and institutional structure than most of the civilian institutions of society. Military dictatorships can be contrasted with other forms of dictatorship. For example, in most current and historical Communist states, the center of power rests among civilian party officials, and very careful measures (such as political commissars and frequent rotations) are taken to prevent the military from exercising independent authority. Since the 1990s, military dictatorships have become less common. Reasons for this include the fact that military dictatorships no longer have much international legitimacy, as well as the fact that many militaries having unsuccessfully ruled many nations are now inclined not to become involved in political disputes. Furthermore, the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union made it more difficult for military regimes to use the threat of communism as justification for their actions, or to gain support from foreign sources. As the Cold War began to wind down, military regimes throughout Latin America were replaced with democracies. In the Middle East, regimes such as those of Syria and Egypt that were once clearly military dictatorships have switched to other forms of despotism. CasesThe following lists are probably incomplete, especially before World War II Nations currently under military rule
Nations with a legacy of military dictatorship(s)In Africa
In the Americas
In Asia
In Europe
See also
el:Χούντα es:Dictadura militar fr:Dictature militaire he:משטר צבאי ms:Kerajaan tentera nl:Junta ja:軍事国家 no:Diktatur pl:Junta wojskowa pt:Junta militar ru:Военная диктатура fi:Sotilasdiktatuuri sv:Militärdiktatur th:เผด็จการทหาร
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