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 (including pro-Western) 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, Indonesia's New Order regime by Suharto, in South Korea when it was led by Syngman Rhee, Park Chung Hee, and Chun Doo-hwan, a number of military dictatorships in Latin America during the Cold War, and 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. 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. 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). Many of those are/were led by spiritual leaders, such as the Slovak Republic under the Reverend Josef Tiso. Some right-wing dictatorships, like Nazi Germany, were 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 various 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

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

Latin America and the Caribbean

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. Many right-wing dictatorships in South America were established through Operation Condor in which left-wing governments in the region were replaced with right-wing military regimes through us-backed coups.

List of Latin American and Caribbean right-wing dictatorships

Africa

Africa has experienced several military dictatorships which makes up the majority of right-wing dictatorships that have existed. Dictatorships like the hereditary dictatorship in Togo (especially under Gnassingbé Eyadéma) had strong anti-communist and pro-Western stances which are in contrast to left-wing governments that existed in other African nations around the time. Regimes like Zaire and Rwanda under Habyarimana have sometimes been called fascist. Zaire featured what their dictator called a "neither right nor left" position but was recognized by historians as a right-wing regime and its state ideology of Mobutism has sometimes been seen as a Third Position ideology. Rwanda under Habyarimana has been compared to fascist regimes such as Nazi Germany for their Hutu supremacist policies against the Tutsi race as well as the Rwandan genocide that occurred after the assassination of Habyarimana sometimes being compared to the Holocaust.

List of African right-wing dictatorships

Notes

References

Bibliography

Schmitz, David F. (1999). Thank God They're on Our Side: The United States and Right-wing Dictatorships, 1921-1965. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807847739. OCLC 901305850.
Schmitz, David F. (2006). The United States and Right-wing Dictatorships, 1965-1989. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521678536. OCLC 61295816.

A Short Step to Dictatorship WSJ