Right-wing dictatorship

A right-wing dictatorship, sometimes also referred to as a rightist dictatorship or right-wing authoritarianism, is an authoritarian or sometimes totalitarian regime following right-wing policies. Right-wing dictatorships are typically characterized by appeals to traditionalism, the protection of law and order and often the advocacy of nationalism, and justify their rise to power based on a need to uphold a conservative status quo. Examples of right-wing dictatorships may include anti-communist ones, such as Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Estado Novo, Francoist Spain, the Chilean Junta, the Greek Junta, the Brazilian military dictatorship, the Argentine Junta (or National Reorganization Process); Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek, South Korea when it was led by Syngman Rhee, Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo-hwan; and a number of military dictatorships in Latin America during the Cold War, or those that agitate anti-Western sentiments, such as Russia under Vladimir Putin.

Characteristics of a right-wing dictatorship

Military dictatorship

In the most common Western view, the perfect example of a right-wing dictatorship is any of those that once ruled in South America.[according to whom?] Those regimes were predominantly military juntas and most of them collapsed in the 1980s. Communist countries, which were very cautious about not revealing their authoritarian methods of rule to the public, were usually led by civilian governments and officers taking power were not much welcomed there.[citation needed] Few exceptions include the Burmese Way to Socialism (Burma, 1966–1988), the Military Council of National Salvation (People's Republic of Poland, 1981–1983) or the North Korean regime's evolution throughout the rule of Kim Il Sung.

Religion and the government

Many right-wing regimes kept strong ties with local clerical establishments. This policy of a strong Church-state alliance is often referred to as Clerical fascism. Pro-Catholic dictatorships included the Estado Novo (1933–1974) and the Federal State of Austria (1934–1938). There also exist clerical dictatorships in the Muslim world, including the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The theocratic absolute monarchies of Saudi Arabia or Vatican City also share many similarities with the regimes mentioned above.[citation needed] Many of those are/were led by spiritual leaders, such as the Slovak Republic under the Reverend Josef Tiso or Iran under the Ayatollahs Khomeini (1979–1989) and Khamenei (1989–present). Some right-wing dictatorships, like Nazi Germany, were even openly hostile to certain religions.

Right-wing dictatorships by region

The authoritarian politics of several countries can range from parties and movements on the center-right to the far-right, including some that are difficult to define. The degree of authoritarianism can also vary.

Cases supported by varius sources and definitions will be presented below:

Europe

The existence of right-wing dictatorships in Europe are largely associated with the rise of fascism. The conditions created by World War I and its aftermath gave way both to revolutionary socialism and reactionary politics. Fascism arose as part of the reaction to the socialist movement, in attempt to recreate a perceived status quo ante bellum. Right-wing dictatorships in Europe were mostly destroyed with the Allied victory in World War II, although some continued to exist in Southern Europe until the 1970s.

List of European right-wing dictatorships
Country Historical name(s) Movement(s) Years of rule Dictator(s)
 Albania
 Austria Fatherland Front
 Belarus
 Bulgaria BulgariaKingdom of Bulgaria
 Croatia Independent State of CroatiaIndependent State of Croatia Ustaše 19411945 Ante Pavelić
 Czech Republic Protectorate of Bohemia and MoraviaProtectorate of Bohemia and Moravia National Partnership 1939–1945
 France FranceFrench State Collaborationist government 19401944 Philippe Pétain
 Germany [need quotation to verify]
 Greece
 Hungary
 Italy
 Latvia LatviaRepublic of Latvia[citation needed] Latvian Farmers' Union[citation needed] (disbanded after coup) 19341940 Kārlis Ulmanis
 Lithuania LithuaniaRepublic of Lithuania Lithuanian Nationalist Union 19261940 Antanas Smetona
 Netherlands Nazi GermanyReichskommissariat Niederlande National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands 19401945 Anton Mussert
 Norway NorwayNational Government Nasjonal Samling 1940–1945 Vidkun Quisling
Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire
Poland Poland Nazi GermanyGeneral Government Nazi Party 1939–1945 Hans Frank
 Portugal
 Romania
 Russia
 Serbia Nazi GermanyTerritory of the Military Commander in Serbia Collaborationist government 1941–1945 Milan Nedić
 Slovakia Slovak Republic (1939–1945)Slovak State Slovak People's Party 1939–1945 Jozef Tiso
 Spain
 Ukraine
Kingdom of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Kingdom of YugoslaviaKingdom of Yugoslavia

Asia

Right-wing dictatorships in Asia emerged during the early 1930s, as military regimes seized power from local constitutional democracies and monarchies. The phenomenon soon spread to other countries with the military occupations driven by the militarist expansion of the Empire of Japan. After the end of World War II, Asian right-wing dictatorships took on a decidedly anti-communist role in the Cold War, with many being backed by the United States.

List of Asian right-wing dictatorships
Country Historical name(s) Movement(s) Years of rule Dictator(s)
 Afghanistan Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Taliban
 Azerbaijan AzerbaijanRepublic of Azerbaijan New Azerbaijan Party 1993–present Heydar Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev[citation needed]
 Bangladesh Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh
 Cambodia
 Cyprus CyprusRepublic of Cyprus EOKA B 1974 Nikos Sampson
 Indonesia Republic of Indonesia New Order under Golkar 19661998 Suharto
 Iran
  • 1925–1941
  • 1941–1979
  • 1979–present
 South Korea
China Manchuria, China  Manchukuo Concordia Association 19321945 Puyi with Zheng Xiaoxu and Zhang Jinghui
 Myanmar
 Pakistan  Islamic Republic of Pakistan
 Philippines
 China (1928–1949)
 Taiwan (1945–1987)
Right-wing Kuomintang
Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Islamic State 2014–2019 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
 Syria Syria Syrian Republic[citation needed] Military with the Arab Liberation Movement 1951–1954 Adib Shishakli
 Thailand Thailand Kingdom of Thailand
 Turkey
 Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Democratic Party of Turkmenistan 1991–present
 Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Republic of Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party 1991–present
Vietnam Southern Vietnam South Vietnam Republic of Vietnam
  • 1956–1963
  • 1967–1975
  • 1975
  • 1975

North, Central, and South America

Right-wing dictatorships largely emerged in Central America and the Caribbean during the early 20th century. Sometimes they arose in order to provide concessions to American corporations such as the United Fruit Company, forming regimes that have been described as "banana republics". North American right-wing dictatorships were instrumental in suppressing their countries' labour movements and instituting corporatist economies. During the Cold War, these right-wing dictatorships were characterized by a distinct anti-communist ideology, and often rose to power through US-backed coups.

List of North and South American right-wing dictatorships
Country Historical name(s) Movement(s) Years of rule Dictator(s)
 Argentina
  • 1943–1946
  • 1955–1958
  • 1976–1983
 Bolivia Bolivia Plurinational State of Bolivia
  • 1951–1952
  • 1966–1969
  • 1971–1978
  • 1980–1981
 Brazil
  • 1964
  • 1964–1979
  • 1979–1985
 Chile Chile Military Junta of Chile Military 19731990 Augusto Pinochet
 Colombia Colombia Republic of Colombia Military 1957–1958 Gabriel París Gordillo
 Costa Rica First Costa Rican Republic Republic of Costa Rica Military with the Peliquista Party 19171919 Federico Tinoco Granados
 Cuba  Republic of Cuba
 Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Third Dominican Republic Dominican Party 1930–1962 Rafael Trujillo
 Ecuador Ecuador Republic of Ecuador Military 1972–1979
 Mexico Military with the Conservative Party
  • 1839–1839
  • 1845–1846
  • 1853–1855
 El Salvador El Salvador Republic of El Salvador
 Guatemala  Republic of Guatemala
 Haiti Republic of Haiti National Unity Party
 Honduras  Republic of Honduras Military with the National Party
 Nicaragua Nicaragua Republic of Nicaragua Nationalist Liberal Party
  • 1936–1956
  • 1956–1967
  • 1967–1979
 Panama Panama Republic of Panama Panama Defense Forces 1983–1989 Manuel Noriega
 Paraguay Paraguay Republic of Paraguay
  • 1940–1948
  • 1954–1989
 Peru
  • 1975–1980
  • 1990–2000
United States Southern United States Confederate States of America Confederate States of America 18611865 Jefferson Davis
 Uruguay Uruguay Oriental Republic of Uruguay
  • 1973–1976
  • 1976–1981
  • 1981–1985
  • 1985
 Venezuela Military 1948–1958

Africa

Right-wing dictatorships in Africa most commonly consist of military juntas and military dictatorships but also have included regimes that promote White Supremacy in Southern Africa from the 1940s–1990s.

List of African right-wing dictatorships
Country Historical name(s) Movement(s) Years of rule Dictator(s)
 Angola Portuguese Angola Province of Angola National Union 1933–1974
 Burundi Burundi Republic of Burundi National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy 2005–present
 Cameroon Cameroon Republic of Cameroon Cameroon People's Democratic Movement 1982–present Paul Biya
 Cape Verde Portuguese Cape Verde Overseas Province of Cape Verde National Union 1933–1974
Central African Republic Central African Republic Central African Republic Central African Empire Military 1976–1979 Jean-Bédel Bokassa
 Chad Chad Republic of Chad
  • 1982–1990
  • 2022–present
 Democratic Republic of the Congo Zaire Republic of Zaire Military with the Popular Movement of the Revolution 1965–1997 Mobutu Sese Seko
 Egypt Egypt Arab Republic of Egypt Nation's Future Party 2014–present Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
Kingdom of Italy Italian East Africa National Fascist Party 1936–1941
 Equatorial Guinea
  • 1936–1968
  • 1979–present
 Gabon Gabon Gabonese Republic Gabonese Democratic Party 1961–2023
 Gambia The Gambia Republic of the Gambia Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction 1996–2017 Yahya Jammeh
 Guinea-Bissau Portuguese Guinea Overseas Province of Guinea National Union 1933–1974
 Liberia Liberia Republic of Liberia
  • 1986–1990
  • 1997–2003
 Libya Kingdom of Italy Libya National Fascist Party 1934–1943
 Malawi Malawi Republic of Malawi Malawi Congress Party 1966–1994 Hastings Banda
MoroccoSidi Ifni of Morocco Spain Ifni Military with the FET y de las JONS 1936–1968 Francisco Franco
 Mozambique Portuguese Mozambique Province of Mozambique National Union 1933–1974
 Namibia South West Africa Territory of South West Africa National Party 1985–1990 Louis Pienaar
 Nigeria Military
  • 1966–1979
  • 1983–1993
  • 1993–1999
 Rwanda
  • 1961–1994
  • 1994–present
 Uganda
  • 1971–1979
  • 1986–present
 São Tomé and Príncipe Portugal Overseas Province of São Tomé and Príncipe National Union 1933–1974
 Sudan Sudan Republic of the Sudan
  • 1969–2019
  • 2021–present
 Togo Togo Togolese Republic
  • 1967–2005
  • 2005–present
 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Spanish Sahara Province of the Sahara Military with the FET y de las JONS 1936–1968 Francisco Franco

See also



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