Informal Contribution- first reading

I have never really given much thought to dictatorships and have, embarrassingly enough, understood them in terms of what you see in films- a single corrupt and ruthless leader controlling the masses through threat of violence. Svolik’s reading “the Politics of Authoritarian Rule” added to my knowledge of dictatorships a great deal. I found it intriguing that most dictators are oust by members of their own parties- through using repression as a technique to control the larger population, dictators risk being overpowered by the military or other powerful members of their party. Conversely if they use co-option as a technique to stay in power, a dictator risks giving people enough resources to gain control. This article has provided me with an in-depth introduction to the complexities of dictatorships, the relationship between power sharing and control and has got me interested in learning more!