By: Jacob Yang

What do you think when you hear the word “dictator”? Status? Opulence? Human rights? Most often, those are what first comes to peoples’ minds; however, they are all only half-valid assumptions. Even a fascist government runs on the support of their citizens. The only difference between totalitarianism and democracy is that one listens to its subject, and one doesn’t. A successful dictatorship runs on power and wealth, obtained through the exploitation of its own people, which leads to more authority and money for the ruler.

To obtain power, the first step must be to form a government. For example, dictator Vladimir Lenin, who rose to power over Russia, came to prominence during the famed Russian Revolution, where Russia’s old government was overthrown, and Lenin’s Bolshevik party took control. Similarly, Kim il Sung, the first president (although he was more like an autocrat) of the Republic of North Korea, also drove the Japanese out of Korea. Usually, coups require a rebellion from the working class against a terrible government (ironically, this commonly is a dictatorship), providing the need for a dominating group of people in order to complete this process. However, in rare cases, the old government could step down from power.

The second step of a dictator should be to gain the support of the middle class by using their desperation and fear as leverage. Benito Mussolini, the radical leader of Italy during WWII, gained the support of the people through his speeches. Italy, at the time, was ridden with corruption from the current governing body, risking a communist take-over. The citizen’s need for authority, mixed with Mussolini’s eloquence, led the citizens’ to trust him. Then, he got rid of all his competitors (mainly the communist party in Italy), using the group of people he had from the first step by execution or exile. Naturally, this made the citizens fearful of turning against him. Mussolini could have told them to do anything, and they would have, which allowed him to have the opportunity to become a dictator. After completing the second step, add propaganda to convince the people even more. It comes in movies, posters, basically anything to show that the citizens’ standard of living is high.

To sustain and thrive as a government, money needs to be present. Some totalitarian states get their wealth through trade. Take North Korea, for instance. They heavily rely on China as a trading partner. In fact, according to the CIA Factbook, 75% of North Korea’s income is from its neighbor. Others, such as Stalin’s communist Russia, made their money by selling natural resources. Stalin transformed Russia into a farming country and that was how the country survived for so long. A good thing about dictatorships in the money-making scheme is that there is no need to spend anything on the citizens. Even if a worker dies, another one can take its place. There is no binding contract or income a person gets.

However, even if a country is rich or has the citizens’ support, it still doesn’t cross out the chance for a new rebellion. Any group, if big enough, can plow through any government. Creating a dictatorship is hard and has many sacrifices to it. It’s unclear whether new dictators could pop up anytime soon, but one thing is for certain: people have no limits when it comes to power.