Editing Dictatorship (section)

== Structure ==
The power structures of dictatorships vary, and different definitions of dictatorship consider different elements of this structure. Political scientists such as [[Juan José Linz]] and [[Samuel P. Huntington]] identify key attributes that define the power structure of a dictatorship, including a single leader or a small group of leaders, the exercise of power with few limitations, limited [[Pluralism (political theory)|political pluralism]], and limited [[mass mobilization]].{{sfn|Ezrow|Frantz|2011|p=2}}

The dictator exercises most or total power over the government and society, but sometimes elites are necessary to carry out the dictator's rule. They form an inner circle, making up a class of [[elites]]s that hold a degree of power within the dictatorship and receive benefits in exchange for their support. They may be military officers, party members, friends, or family of the dictator. Elites are also the primary political threats to a dictator, as they can leverage their power to influence or overthrow the dictatorship.{{sfn|Ezrow|Frantz|2011|pp=82–83}} The inner circle's support is necessary for a dictator's orders to be carried out, causing elites to serve as a check on the dictator's power. To enact policy, a dictator must either appease the regime's elites or attempt to replace them.{{sfn|Ezrow|Frantz|2011|pp=113–117}} Elites must also compete to wield more power than one another, but the amount of power held by elites also depends on their unity. Factions or divisions among the elites will mitigate their ability to bargain with the dictator, resulting in the dictator having more unrestrained power.{{Sfn|Geddes|Wright|Frantz|2018|pp=65–66}} A unified inner circle can overthrow a dictator, and the dictator must make greater concessions to the inner circle to stay in power.{{Sfn|Geddes|Wright|Frantz|2018|pp=76–79}} This is particularly true when the inner circle is made up of military officers who have the resources to carry out a military coup. {{Sfn|Geddes|Wright|Frantz|2018|pp=97–99}}

The opposition to a dictatorship represents all of the factions that are not part of the dictatorship and anyone who does not support the regime. Organized opposition is a threat to the stability of a dictatorship, as it seeks to undermine public support for the dictator and calls for regime change. A dictator may address the opposition by repressing it through force, modifying laws to restrict its power, or appeasing it with limited benefits.{{sfn|Ezrow|Frantz|2011|pp=56–57}} The opposition can be an external group, or it can also include current and former members of the dictator's inner circle. {{Sfn|Geddes|Wright|Frantz|2018|p=178}}

Totalitarianism is a variation of dictatorship characterized by the presence of a single political party and, more specifically, by a powerful leader who imposes personal and political prominence. Power is enforced through a steadfast collaboration between the government and a highly developed ideology. A totalitarian government has "total control of mass communications and social and economic organizations".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McLaughlin |first=Neil |date=2010 |title=Review: Totalitarianism, Social Science, and the Margins. |journal=The Canadian Journal of Sociology |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=463–69 |doi=10.29173/cjs8876 |jstor=canajsocicahican.35.3.463 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Political philosopher [[Hannah Arendt]] describes totalitarianism as a new and extreme form of dictatorship composed of "atomized, isolated individuals" in which ideology plays a leading role in defining how the entire society should be organized.{{sfn|Ezrow|Frantz|2011|p=3}} Political scientist Juan José Linz identifies a spectrum of [[political systems]] with [[democracies]] and [[totalitarian regimes]] separated by [[authoritarian regimes]] with varied classifications of [[Hybrid regime|hybrid systems]].<ref name="LinzLinz2000">{{cite book |author1=[[Juan José Linz]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8cYk_ABfMJIC&pg=PA143 |title=Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes |date=2000 |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publisher |isbn=978-1-55587-890-0 |pages=143 |oclc=1172052725}}</ref><ref name="Michie2014">{{cite book | editor-first = Jonathan | editor-last = Michie | date = 3 February 2014 | title = Reader's Guide to the Social Sciences | publisher = Routledge | page = 95 | isbn = 978-1-135-93226-8 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ip_IAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA95}}</ref> He describes totalitarian regimes as exercising control over politics and political mobilization rather than merely suppressing it.<ref name="LinzLinz2000"/>