# Has A Dictator Ever Retired? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 4, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847 "2011-07-04T21:39:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847/21 "2011-07-05T04:47:47Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > I’m not saying they were benevolent. (Breznev? Really?) But organizationally they seem to me to be sort of preeminent members of a ruling oligarchy rather than strongmen whom everyone in the government is afraid to cross. The underlined part is not part of the deifinition of “dictator”. All three most recent Spanish dictators had quite their share of people in their own side (not necessarily “in the government”) crossing them, and quite a few ancient ones were from the oligarchy, not the military (note also than in many countries, military officers were or are a social class of their own; in some countries they’re the oligarchy as well as being the militarchy). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847/22 "2011-07-05T05:02:55Z")
[Ernesto Geisel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Geisel) of Brazil was a military leader who became president in 1974 under the auspices of the military junta then in power. He began a process of democratization, and left the presidency in 1979. He turned the presidency over to João Figueiredo, who lost the election of 1985 and retired. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847/23 "2011-07-05T08:59:28Z")
King Lear. Which might be one reason why it is a rather rare circumstance. ---
**Author:** ![devonshire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@devonshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devonshire)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847/24 "2011-07-05T09:54:39Z")
A dictator will only retire to be replaced by another like minded dictator or one who is worse. I would use Kim Jung il as an example of a dictator who replaced his father, although it may have been upon his death. Kim’s son will replace him, probably when he retires and he appears to be worse than Kim. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847/25 "2011-07-05T10:21:16Z")
> [@devonshire](#): > > A dictator will only retire to be replaced by another like minded dictator or one who is worse. I don’t suppose you read the rest of the thread before replying, huh? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847/26 "2011-07-05T10:21:24Z")
I came here to mention Sulla too. He’s also a good example of just what dictators usually mean by ‘retirement’. > [@](#): > > After his second consulship, he withdrew to his country villa near Puteoli to be with family. From this distance, he remained out of the day-to-day political activities in Rome, **intervening only a few times when his policies were involved**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847/27 "2011-07-05T10:28:53Z")
Not completely voluntary: [Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albrecht von Preußen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_II,_German_Emperor) [Napoléon Bonaparte](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-dictator-ever-retired/587847.md?page=1)