despotisms
Cruel authoritarian regimes
Despotisms is the plural of despotism, referring to multiple systems or instances of absolute, tyrannical rule.
A despotism concentrates power in a single authority who governs without legal restraint: The 18th century saw the rise of enlightened despotisms across Europe.
The word can also describe oppressive conditions more broadly: the petty despotisms of office managers.
Oppressive authoritarian rule
- dictatorshipsRegimes under absolute rulers
- autocraciesGovernments by single rulers
- absolutismsSystems of total authority
- totalitarianismsSystems of absolute state power
authoritarian regimes · one-man rule · police states · military juntas · oligarchies · fascisms · iron-fisted rule · authoritarianism
Excessive supervisory control
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- coercive controlOngoing pattern of domination
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
power abuse · subjugation · domination · silencing · manipulation
Russian imperial absolutism
- Roman emperorsRulers of ancient Italy's empire
- feudal lordsMedieval landowning nobility
- absolute monarchiesStates with all-powerful sovereigns
- divine rightGod-granted ruling authority
shogunate · colonial rule · plantation system · serfdom · tributary states · satraps · viceroys · conquistadors
- EnlightenmentEra prioritizing reason over dogma
- checks and balancesConstitutional power-limiting framework
- separation of powersConstitutional distribution of authority
- libertyAbsence of unjust constraint
consent of governed · social contract · Locke · Rousseau · political philosophy · constitutionalism · freedom · natural rights
tyrannies
Oppressive authoritarian rule
- dictatorshipsRegimes under absolute rulers
- autocraciesGovernments by single rulers
- absolutismsSystems of total authority
totalitarianisms · authoritarian regimes · one-man rule · police states · military juntas · oligarchies · fascisms · iron-fisted rule · authoritarianism · single-party rule
micromanagement
Excessive supervisory control
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- coercive controlOngoing pattern of domination
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
intimidation · power abuse · subjugation · domination · silencing · manipulation
tsarism
Russian imperial absolutism
- Roman emperorsRulers of ancient Italy's empire
- feudal lordsMedieval landowning nobility
- absolute monarchiesStates with all-powerful sovereigns
divine right · shogunate · colonial rule · plantation system · serfdom · tributary states · satraps · viceroys · conquistadors · boyars
Montesquieu
- EnlightenmentEra prioritizing reason over dogma
- checks and balancesConstitutional power-limiting framework
- separation of powersConstitutional distribution of authority
liberty · consent of governed · social contract · Locke · Rousseau · political philosophy · constitutionalism · freedom · natural rights · Mill
despotismsdemocracies
Governments elected by people
republics · representative governments · parliamentary systems · liberal democracies · self-governance
despotismsliberal democracies
States combining elections with protected rights
libertarianism · free states · emancipation · self-governance · autonomies