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autocracy

autocracy

5 8.2
A government in which one person has all power
  • noun
  • /ɔːˈtɒkrəsi/
translation icon : autocracia
  • In an autocracy, a single leader controls the government without any checks or balances on their power.
  • autocracy and democracy
  • poor autocracies
  • autocracy and oligarchy

These people want autocracy, theocracy, a fascist government.

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Examples

  • Critics of the democratic peace have argued that historically, democracies had been rare and autocracies common.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Indonesia suggests reasons why these triple-threat autocracies survive for so long.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Growing autocracy inside Russia obviously did not cause the rise in oil and gas prices.

    Academic text (2008)
  • However, words such as democracy or autocracy do not appear anywhere in the models.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Ideological competition between democracy and autocracy was supposed to end with the "end of history."

    Academic text (2008)
  • While liberal autocracies may have existed in the past, can one imagine them today?

    Academic text (1997)
  • Trotsky asked that they be put on trial so that the corruption and abuses of the autocracy could be revealed.

  • And for many societies emerging from autocracy, coalition building is a first-time experience in collective action.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Perhaps the most telling evidence that Putin's autocracy has hurt rather than helped Russia's economy is provided by regional comparisons.

    Academic text (2008)
  • In the early twentieth century, autocracies in both countries were toppled almost simultaneously by violent revolution.

    Academic text (2001)

Synonyms

regime
vsautocracy
  • Literature
535 6.1

A government that rules a country, often not democratic and strict

refers specifically to one person holding unlimited authority rather than any government
dictatorship
vsautocracy
157 4.8

A government where one person or a small group has all power and does not allow political opposition

focuses on one person having unlimited authority rather than group rule
tyranny
vsautocracy
109 6.7

One person or a small group rules a country cruelly

focuses on one person holding unlimited authority rather than cruelty
totalitarianism
vsautocracy
  • Formal
19 9.3

A government that controls nearly all parts of people's lives and takes away personal freedom

is about a single individual having unlimited authority rather than total societal control
authoritarianism
vsautocracy
11 8.7

A system where one person or small group has almost all political power

emphasizes one person having unlimited authority rather than potential group rule
despotism
vsautocracy
  • Formal
7 9.6

A government where one person or group has all power and rules cruelly

is the neutral concentration of power without the cruelty implication
totalitarian regime
vsautocracy
  • Formal
6 8.3

A government that controls almost all parts of people's lives by force

focuses on one person holding unlimited authority rather than state coercion of life
authoritarian regime
vsautocracy
5 7.4

A government where one leader or a small group holds power and limits people's freedoms

is the single-person system with unlimited authority instead of elite control
totalitarian state
vsautocracy
  • Formal
5 8.2

A government that controls almost every part of people's lives and punishes people who disagree

means one person holds unlimited power rather than the whole state controlling life
absolutism
vsautocracy
  • Formal
3 8.1

A system where one ruler has complete power

is the political term for one person having unlimited authority rather than belief
authoritarian state
vsautocracy
1 7.6

A country ruled by leaders who tightly control people's lives and freedoms

is about one person having unlimited authority rather than institutional life control
one-man rule
vsautocracy
1 8.2

A government where one person has all power and others cannot oppose them

is the general label for simple one-person absolute control
Caesarism
vsautocracy
  • Formal
1 9.9

A form of government where one leader has almost complete power without legal limits

is the general system of single-person unlimited authority without the historical style
autarchy
vsautocracy
  • Formal
9.9

A government where one person has all the power and decides everything

is the general political term for the same situation
monocracy
vsautocracy
  • Formal
9.9

A government where one person has all power over the country and no limits

is the neutral name for the same concentration of power

Antonyms

782 1.6

A system of government where people choose leaders by free elections

How Authoritarian

totalitarianism
  • Formal
19 9.3
autocracy
5 8.2
democracy
782 1.6

Surface Forms

autocracy singular
autocracies plural

Morphology

autocracy = auto + crat + cy

The word uses the classical elements 'auto-' and '-cracy', but the modern political meaning of absolute rule by one person is not directly predictable from those parts for an average learner.

Etymology

Autocracy comes from the parts auto- meaning 'self' and -cracy meaning 'rule' or 'power', the same ending as in democracy. So an autocracy is literally 'rule by oneself', which explains why it means a government where one person has all the power.