Military dictatorship

A military dictatorship, sometimes called a junta or military junta, is a form of government in which one or more members of the military hold authoritarian control.

It may be different from civilian dictatorship in a number of aspects: their motivations for seizing power, the institutions through which they organize their rule, and the ways in which they leave power. Often viewing itself as saving the nation from the corrupt or myopic civilian politicians, a military dictatorship justifies its position as "neutral" arbiters on the basis of their membership within the armed forces. For example, many juntas adopt titles, such as “National Redemption Council", “Committee of National Restoration", or “National Liberation Committee". Military leaders often rule as a junta, selecting one of them as the head. For instance, Zhelyu Zhelev has argued that fascist regimes such as Nazi Germany had its power run by the party and its various civic instituitions, and that a military coup against Hitler was unlikely.

Civil-military dictatorship

The concept of civil military dictatorship was coined to describe the nature of the Uruguayan dictatorship (1973-85) (Spanish: Dictadura cívico-militar).

Historians Gabriel Salazar and Julio Pinto have stressed the hybrid nature of the Chilean military dictatorship (1973-90) and previous and latter apparently non-military governments claiming that there is a continuation of civil and military cooperation that excludes the population from meaningful participation in the state affairs calling this a de facto civil-military dictatorship.

See also

• Military coup
• Khakistocracy
• Films depicting Latin American military dictatorships
• List of political leaders who held active military ranks in office