civilian control
Democracy governs armies
Civilian control is the principle that elected officials and civil authorities, rather than military commanders, hold ultimate authority over a nation's armed forces.
This doctrine guards against military coups and ensures democratic accountability: The general's public criticism of the president raised concerns about civilian control.
The full phrase is often *civilian control of the military*.
- commander in chiefHighest military leader
- chain of commandFormal authority hierarchy
- rule of lawSupremacy of established laws
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
authoritarian regimes · defense policy · military budget · national security · transparency · anti-authoritarianism · separation of powers · checks and balances · executive authority · war powers · armed forces · policymaking · constitutional crises · strategic planning · Pentagon · post-war reconstruction · democratic transition · freedom of speech
- Defense Policydefense budget, defense policy, defense spending, defense secretary, defense minister
- authorityleaders, ruler, rulers, monarch, bosses
- Japanese Constitutionconstitutional amendment, popular sovereignty, bicameral legislature, House of Representatives, constitutional reform
- occupied Germanymilitary government, US Army, Soviet occupation, denazification, Berlin Airlift
civilian controlmilitary rule
Government by armed forces
junta rule · military dictatorship · military government · military junta · martial law
civilian, control, civil, civility, civilize, civilized, civilization, civilly, incivility