Compare And Contrast The Power Of Presidents And Dictators

While both offices hold immense political power, dictators and presidents rule very differently. Presidents primarily use persuasion while dictators use force to get their policies across. Presidents are elected, which promotes democratic freedom. On the other hand, dictators usually take power by overthrowing the preceding government. The president is the elected leader of a republic. The president of any country has limits to their power. These limits come from the people as well as a constitution or written law that outlines what they can and cannot do. In regard to America’s government, the president cannot declare war or make laws singlehandedly. He or she would need assistance from the other branches of government, the legislature, the judiciary or both. This system of checks
and balances is what has kept American presidents from holding absolute power. The founding fathers made sure to outline these restrictions to make the American system more democratic than the monarchy they broke away from. Since the executive office has clear limits, the president has to use other means to progress his or her political agenda. Presidents can persuade through convincing oration. Congress members may also help to make the president’s stance known to the constituents. In addition, the president is democratically elected by the people of their country. This means that he or she must represent the interests that the country holds, as a whole. Dictators experience the exact opposite when ruling a nation.
Dictators have complete power and they are not bound by laws. In most cases, dictators eliminate all of their political opponents, including the existing government, usually by violent means. This means that the people did not give the dictator permission to rule the country. Most often, the dictator will not answer to the people and will instead rule with an iron fist. Idi Amin Dada was one of the worst dictators in the twentieth century. In the seventies, Amin overthrew the existing government and declared himself the new president of Uganda. During his reign, Amin launched genocide of tribes within Uganda, exiled Asians, and violently eliminated anyone who spoke out in protest against his regime. He did all of this despite his promise to Ugandans to give power back to the people. Amin had very loyal followers as well. His charisma compelled everyone to do as he said, and he also used fear. As a result, no one dared to protest what Amin was doing. Dictators may say that they plan to give their people more freedom, but they use this excuse to justify the atrocities and violations of human rights that they
commit. It is clear that presidents and dictators have different characteristics. However, they have a few similarities. Both the president and the dictator are the face of the country in a political sense. They lead the nation and make decisions that could potentially impact all of their citizens, and even other countries in the world. Both of them command the military and are responsible for the condition of the economy and national security. Dictators and presidents are much more different than they are similar. Presidents generally rule over a democracy with limits to their power outlined in the laws of the nation. On the other hand, dictators eliminate their opposition and try to hold on to power through violent means. Though neither is perfect, both have undeniable power in their government.