How do dictatorships stay in power?

[Wesley_Clark]

@Alessan

If you think about it, the OP is basically two questions:

1. How do dictators avoid popular uprisings?
2. How do dictators avoid being replaced by other members of the ruling class?

Most people here are answering no. 1, even though popular uprisings are historically fairly rare. The answer to question 2, how to avoid being killed or deposed, is more relevant, but also well known: making alliances, ensuring the loyalty of a small but effective group of killers and spies, sniffing out and neutralizing enemies, and a healthy dose of paranoia. The same skills any decent crime boss has.

Lots of dictators who came to power were in group 2. They overthrew the previous dictator and took power.

My limited impression is as long as you control the military and secret police (and have multiple branches of each that all hate each other and compete with each other to stay in the dictator’s favor), you’ll probably stay in power. But if you lose them, then you’re fucked.