Editing Dictatorship (section)

=== Violence ===
In a dictatorship, violence is used to coerce or repress all opposition to the dictator's rule, and the strength of a dictatorship depends on its use of violence. This violence is frequently exercised through institutions such as military or police forces.{{Sfn|Geddes|Wright|Frantz|2018|p=154}} The use of violence by a dictator is frequently most severe during the first few years of a dictatorship, because the regime has not yet solidified its rule and more detailed information for targeted coercion is not yet available. As the dictatorship becomes more established, it moves away from violence by resorting to the use of other coercive measures, such as restricting people's access to information and tracking the political opposition. Dictators are incentivized to avoid the use of violence once a reputation of violence is established, as it damages the dictatorship's other institutions and poses a threat to the dictator's rule should government forces become disloyal.{{Sfn|Geddes|Wright|Frantz|2018|p=155}}

Institutions that coerce the opposition through the use of violence may serve different roles or they may be used to counterbalance one another to prevent one institution from becoming too powerful. [[Secret police]] are used to gather information about specific political opponents and carry out targeted acts of violence against them, [[paramilitary]] forces defend the regime from coups, and formal militaries defend the dictatorship during foreign invasions and major civil conflicts.{{Sfn|Geddes|Wright|Frantz|2018|p=155}}

[[Terrorism]] is less common in dictatorships. Allowing the opposition to have representation in the regime, such as through a legislature, further reduces the likelihood of terrorist attacks in a dictatorship.<ref name="Terrorism In Dictatorships"/> Military and one-party dictatorships are more likely to experience terrorism than personalist dictatorships, as these regimes are under more pressure to undergo institutional change in response to terrorism.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Conrad |first1=Courtenay R. |last2=Conrad |first2=Justin |last3=Young |first3=Joseph K. |date=2014 |title=Tyrants and Terrorism: Why Some Autocrats are Terrorized While Others are Not |journal=International Studies Quarterly |language=en |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=539–549 |doi=10.1111/isqu.12120|doi-access=free }}</ref>

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File:Pasillo de la memoria UTN FRA (2015) 11.JPG|Photographs of [[Dirty War|victims]] of the [[National Reorganization Process|civic-military dictatorship of Argentina]]
File:Cambodia 2011 monuments 10.jpg|Rooms of the [[Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum]] contain thousands of photos taken by the [[Khmer Rouge]] of their victims.
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