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Any dictatorship has a ruling coalition, so I think you are making an artificial distinction. What keeps a dictator in power is his/hers ability to compensate t

Any dictatorship has a ruling coalition, so I think you are making an artificial distinction. What keeps a dictator in power is his/hers ability to compensate their ruling coalition to keep in place a system where you do not have to rule in the best interest of the majority. A core tenet for a successful dictator is the power and willingness to replace anyone that acts against your interest with someone from a large pool of replacements. A dictatorship also only thrive when most people are relatively uneducated so that they can't challenge you and that most people do not have enough resources to afford dissidence. If you want to learn more about the topic "The Dictators Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics" is highly recommended.

seanmcdirmid 9y ago
Maybe we are just being pedantic, but it sounds like you are looking for autocracy. I would class china’s system as more aristocratic now with multiple red families running most of the politics and much of the economy. But even that isn’t exactly right, china’s political system is difficult to categorize.
- asabjorn 9y ago
  On second thought I think you are right that it is its own thing. I do not remember the details, but political scientist Fukuyama classifies the Chinese political system in "The Origins of Political Order" and due to the cultural context it has many unique properties.