Difference Between Dictatorship and Monarchy
Democracy is the most popular governance system. Dictatorship and monarchy are both suffocating for the citizens. The rights of the citizens in both the systems are limited. Both monarchy and dictatorship are not the ideal mode of governance. Both are cruel and suppressing. But there are differences between the two. There are a few countries in the world where monarchy and dictatorship are in practice. Otherwise, most of the countries in the world have adopted democratic system of governance.
In monarchy there are no elections for the post of the head of the state. The head is always hierarchical. One head dies, his heir automatically ascends the throne whether people of the state like him or not. Their opinion does not matter. King, monarch, queen, emperor, duchess, dukes are titles used by monarchy system for the head. Monarchy is alive in 44 countries of the world even today. Out of them16 monarchies exist in commonwealth alone. There is always a royal family in the monarchy system. One of the members of the family heads the government. This member is mostly the son or daughter of the previous monarch who ascends the throne after his death. Monarchy can be absolute, constitutional and limited. In UK Queen is the symbolic head of the government. The monarchy is limited in UK. He has no real power. She alone cannot make any law. The monarchy in UK is only symbolic has no actual powers.
The constitution of a country can give some powers to the monarchy. It is called constitutional monarchy. For example, constitutional monarchy exists in Sweden where the king has the powers given by the constitution. Absolute monarchy is where all the powers of the government reside in the monarch alone. He is the complete head of the state. He alone can make laws for the state. This type of system is considered most dangerous in the modern world.
Dictatorship is another system which is very similar to the absolute monarchy. In Dictatorship all powers are practices by a single person. But a dictator does not necessarily belong to a royal family. Anyone can acquire power of the state by hook or crook and can become the head of the state. For example an army general can take over the power of a country by a military coup. A dictator remains in power by force and by adopting illegal means. He can kill all the opposition or may put them in the prison. There is much bloodshed involved when he acquires the power. A dictator does not believe in the right of the citizens. He believes that state is all supreme and there is no existence of the citizens without the state. State is not for the citizen while citizens are for the state only. There is no individual existence apart from the state. Thus dictatorship is the worst system in the world. Dictatorship is exact opposite of democracy.