Dictators and Dictatorships: Understanding Authoritarian Regimes and Their Leaders

by Natasha M. Ezrow, Erica Frantz

Dictators and Dictatorships is a qualitative enquiry into the politics of authoritarian regimes. It argues that political outcomes in dictatorships are largely a product of leader-elite relations. Differences in the internal structure of dictatorships affect the dynamics of this relationship. This book shows how dictatorships differ from one another and the implications of these differences for political outcomes. In particular, it examines political processes in personalist, military, single-party, monarchic, and hybrid regimes.


The aim of the book is to provide a clear definition of what dictatorship means, how authoritarian politics works, and what the political consequences of dictatorship are. It discusses how authoritarianism influences a range of political outcomes, such as economic performance, international conflict, and leader and regime durability.


Numerous case studies from around the world support the theory and research presented to foster a better understanding of the inner workings of authoritarian regimes. By combining theory with concrete political situations, the book will appeal to undergraduate students in comparative politics, international relations, authoritarian politics, and democratization.

Genres: Politics, History, International Relations, Nonfiction

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Matt Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, reads like a bed time story. Having just put the book down i feel like i just finished an intro course into the political science of Dictatorships.

[Tahazen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book because it relates to a potential class I was going to teach on Dictators/Authoritarianism.

I'm currently not scheduled to teach the class, but if I was going to I would assign this book. It is a great resource to an upper-level Political Science course on dictators/authoritarian regimes. Overall it addresses the literature, synthesizes the major themes and provides some brief case studies.

If I teach the a class on Dictators and Authoritarian Regimes in the future, I'll definitely reexamine this book. Hopefully by then a new edition will be out by then. (Especially since this book was released just before the Arab Spring uprising).

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a graduate seminar and loved it. It is clearly written, interesting, and includes so much fascinating information on 20th and 21st century dictators and how authoritarian regimes are born, survive, and are overthrown. Unlike most academic books on the graduate level, this one is pleasant to read and not full of boring material.