Autocracies and Political Domination (ePub)

Political Domination
An Autocracy is the absolute dynasty of a group of countries under the rule of one sovereign State. It can be an extensive territory, an aggregate of many States, all under the ultimate authority of one person, an emperor or empress.
It may also be a ruling of people reluctant to give up carefully nurtured empires, which are governed by supreme and extensive political dominion, with absolute control and paramount influence. In bygone years, this was mainly the position or dignity of an emperor, now very rare.
In a few cases, throughout history, an empire-builder (a person who added to a territory) sought to increase his or her country's authority. A good example would be that of the British Empire who often employed a British overseas administrator, whose responsibility would be to sustain the governed areas and to handle the activities regarding the building of the worldwide empire.
According to scripted historical events, there were many empires in the world, where some are still taught in schools, and in a few long forgotten countries, storytellers hand down the details of such empires.
Autocratic State
This is term widely used to describe an authoritarian state, a state in which political authority is exercised by a person or group who are not responsible to the people they control, and in which there is no legal and orderly method of changing governments. Such systems may be either of the Right or of the Left, and may be either military or civilian in composition.
Elections may be held in such states, but are commonly organized on a one-party basis; coups of one kind or another, along with assassinations, are one method of bringing about political change in authoritarian states.
The notion is distinct from that of a totalitarian state, in which the ruling group controls all aspects of human life, but authoritarian rulers are nonetheless closed off from the demands and needs of the broader population. Examples of authoritarian regimes include those of certain Latin American rulers, such as Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay (1954-89), and Augusto Pinochet of Chile (1973-90), and the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Power of Authority
The power or the right to command, or rule some group of people, can be systematic as in the case of empires and their tyrannical governing.
It can be attributed either to individuals ('the authority of the pope') or to institutions ('the authority of Parliament').