What are authoritarian regimes?

A dictator is like a king or queen who makes all the rules and no one can argue with them, not even other important people.

Imagine you're playing with your friends in the park, and everyone gets to say what game they want to play. That’s like a democracy, everyone has a say. But if one friend suddenly says, “No more games, I pick everything,” and no one can stop them, that's like having a dictator.

A dictator usually stays in power for a long time. They might not let people vote, or they might keep changing the rules so they stay in charge. Sometimes, they even prevent other people from being leaders, it’s like if your friend took all the toys and said, “No one else can be in charge of the game!”

Sometimes, a dictator is good at keeping things calm and safe, it's like having a boss who knows exactly what to do. But other times, they might make everything messy or unfair, yet people still follow them because they're scared or don’t know any better.

So, a dictator is someone who rules alone and doesn't let others have a say, just like the friend who picks all the games!