Didn't his rule turn into an actual dictatorship only when growth was slowing down, his popularity was waning, and he had a close call in the democratic electio

Didn't his rule turn into an actual dictatorship only when growth was slowing down, his popularity was waning, and he had a close call in the democratic elections? A couple of examples of successes that can only very debatably be attributed to dictatorship in itself don't make it inherently successful. Not more than China's successes prove that communism is successful and sustainable. Why are you ignoring the overwhelming majority of cases where dictatorship failed? Democracy had far more consistent and successful examples. Using dictatorial-like power to escape a dire situation is not the same as successfully ruling a country. Dictatorship is like a slap. It's useful if you're chocking and need to get out of that pinch but treating all emergencies with a slap is a misguided approach.