Autocracy
As autocracy ( altgr. αυτοκρατία autokratia, autocracy ' of αυτός cars, auto ' and κρατείν kratein prevail ') is referred to in political science, a form of government in which a single person or group of persons uncontrolled exercise political power and no constitutional restrictions is subject. Accordingly, it is a legitimized by the sole power holders autocracy. The comparative government doctrine of autocracy is usually contrasted with democracy as the ideal-typical concept. In contrast, the constitutional lawyer Karl Loewenstein distinguishes the constitutional state as the autocracy opposite ideal type, in which several independent power providers are involved in the exercise of political power and control each other.
As autocrats ( altgr. αυτοκράτης autokrátes even Ruling ' ) is called, accordingly, a single - or autocrat, the sovereign power exercised in a certain area on its own absolute power and wealth in his power by nothing and no one is limited.
The term autocrat is colloquially used for a high-handed people (similar despot, tyrant, dictator ).
Definition and Typology
Basically it is in the self- rule to the exercise of unrestricted sovereign power in its own right without outside authorization. As a form of autocracy combines therefore all the skills of the political system in a central force, and neither sees the participation of the people at the public authority or a whatever kind of reference back to a higher authority before which controls and legitimates the exercise of power. An autocratic government prevails, therefore, by definition, on its own authority, and is accountable to no one. With an assumed divine right this absolute power of attorney will only be relativized, as it is limited by the responsibility of the rulers or to God. Owner of all these skills can be a single person (eg, king, dictator ) or a group ( party, junta, Central Committee ).
The classic case in autocracies the absolute monarchy and dictatorship are illegitimate. During the absolutist monarch at least acknowledges the divine and historic right and his subjects granted the security of person and property, an undemocratic dictator sees principally bound by any rules of law and is in standard setting and government enforcement only by the factual circumstances and opportunities of exercising power (about limits the availability of a military apparatus ).
A distinction must be formal autocracies in terms of political systems in which the ruler acts as a real ( legitimate ) sovereign ( as traditional monarchies ) in which maintained the appearance of a derived legitimacy by virtually powerless state organs, rigged elections, or the like of de facto autocracies, the state power is actually exercised, but in autocratic form.
Examples of autocracies
Autocratic governments in Ancient Rome
The autocratic rule of the king was (opposite the Etruscan supremacy in the context of the independence aspirations of the city of Rome ) replaced in the Roman polity in the 6th century BC by the Republic, in the first of the urban aristocracy ( patricians ) the government authority possessed, to which later the lower layers of Roman citizenship ( the "people" ) participated.
For war and crisis, there was the possibility to appoint a dictator with very far-reaching powers for six months in the Roman Republic. This had the summum imperium held, that is, he had under his ( limited ) all offices of the Magistrate. The powers of the tribunes of the people were set aside during the dictatorship, as well as the right to appeal to the Roman citizens from criminal courts. However, the dictator was not allowed to change the constitution and declare neither wars nor levy new taxes. He could not be prosecuted for acts during his tenure itself. A similar " sacrosanct " (Latin sacrosanctus, " untouchable " ) position had otherwise only the tribunes as a specially protected people's representatives. The Roman dictatorship can hardly be equated with dictatorial regimes of modernity, because it was a legitimate institution that was limited in its abundance of power and duration. But in the late period of the Republic it became more and more in danger of being abused for purposes despotic individual political actors. So Caesar also tried to give can be a life-long dictatorship.
When establishing the principate in the imperial period were in particular the rights and powers of the tribunes of the people on the acting as unlimited autocrat Princeps ("First ", it originated the title Duke and Prince ) transferred the title Augustus and Caesar ( from: Kaiser) led. The glow of a republican constitution in the sense of acting except government remained preserved. That of most Roman emperors also run title imperator ( " commander ", actually the honorary title of a military commander ) corresponded in Greek Kaisertitulatur that was used particularly in the later stages of the Roman Empire in parallel to or instead of the Latin names, the term autocrat ( " autocrat ").
Autocratic governments in Russia
In the Russian Empire contributed to 1721 the Tsar and from then on the Emperor for a long time, officially the title of autocrat and described himself as " Autocrat of all the Russias " ( Император и Самодержец Всероссийский, Imperator i Samoderschets Wserossijskij, literally " All- Russian Emperor and Autocrat " ), ie " autocrat of All Russia ". The form of government of the Russian tsars since the abolition of the Church's Patriarch Office by Tsar Peter I is also known as Caesaropapism. Here, the secular rulers, although not directly united secular and spiritual power in one person, but the church was subordinated to the state authorities directly.
Following the Russian Revolution and the introduction of the Soviet system that was implemented in the form of an autocratic rule of the Communist party, as they came, especially in the current 1936 to 1977 constitution of the Soviet Union to completion.