Editing Dictator (section)

==== Military roles ====
The association between a dictator and the military is a common one. Many dictators take great pains to emphasize their connections with the military and they often wear military uniforms. In some cases, this is perfectly legitimate; for instance, [[Francisco Franco]] was a general in the Spanish Army before he became [[Head of state|Chief of State]] of Spain,<ref>{{Cite book|ref=Thomas|first=Hugh|author-link=Hugh Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton|last=Thomas|year=1977|title=The Spanish Civil War|isbn=978-0-06-014278-0|pages=421–424|publisher=Harper & Row }}</ref> and [[Manuel Noriega]] was officially commander of the [[Panamanian Defense Forces]]. In other cases, the association is mere pretense.