Stratocracy

Part of the Politics series
Basic forms of government
Power structure
Confederal Federal Hegemony Imperial Unitary
Power source
Democracy Direct Representative others
Monarchy Absolute Constitutional
Oligarchy Aristocracy Military junta Plutocracy Stratocracy Timocracy
Authoritarian Autocracy Despotism Dictatorship Totalitarianism
Other Anarchy Anocracy Kritarchy Republic Theocracy
Politics portal

A stratocracy (from στρατός, stratos, "army" and κράτος, kratos, "dominion", "power") is a form of government headed by military chiefs; the term is derived from two Greek terms signifying army and power. It is not the same as a military dictatorship or military junta where the military's political power is not enforced or even supported by other laws. Rather, stratocracy is a form of military government in which the state and the military are traditionally or constitutionally the same entity, and government positions are always occupied by military leaders. Citizens with mandatory and/or voluntary military service, or who have been honorably discharged, have the right to elect and/or govern. The military's political power is supported by law and the society. As such a stratocracy does not have to be autocratic by nature in order to preserve its right to rule.

Historically, the term was used by Greeks to describe the structure of the late Roman Republic and later the early Empire, where there was no distinction between military and civilian offices, and appointment to governing roles required military service and promotion. The closest modern equivalent to a stratocracy is the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar (Burma), which is arguably different from most other military dictatorships in that it completely abolished the civilian constitution and legislature. A new constitution that came into effect in 2010 cemented the military's hold on power through mechanisms such as reserving 25% of the seats in the legislature for military personnel.

See also

• Military junta
• Cossacks
• Timocracy: The ideals of militarism-stratocracy often attaches to the honor-oriented timocracy.
• Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein. The novel's setting is sometimes considered a form of stratocracy as voting and public office are restricted to those who have given national service. The focus in the book from this group are veterans, although service in the military is not the only form of public service that enables a person to become a citizen with full democratic rights.