Military Governments Essay, Research Paper

Military Governments

Charles Aquino

Political Science

1/14/97

Military authoritiess have been around since the yearss of feudal system. It

is the oldest and most common political province. Harmonizing to Shively, a military

authorities is one in which a group of officers use their military personnels to take over the

governmental setup and run it themselves. Military authoritiess are normally

weak in pacifying the multitudes for they are known to be barbarous and power hungry

and are besides instead delicate, both internally and externally.

In its crude province, bing as feudal system, the high ranking

officials/nobility and the military itself was composed entirely of the elite

governing category. But as society became more complex, the function of the elite was

somewhat altered as engineering progressed and the aristocracy and kings no thirster

controlled arms nor could forestall the decomposition of the feudal society.

Modern military authoritiess normally occur after the military phases a

putsch. A putsch is the forceful deposition of a authorities by all or a part of

the armed forces and installing of a new military authorities. Coups

normally take topographic point when the present authorities poses a menace to the province or

the position quo. Because the military controls more armed power than anyone in a

province, they have the ability to take over the authorities at any given clip. In

Power and Choice, Shively inquiries the impression of the rarity of military

authoritiess. Yes, they are common, but why aren & # 8217 ; t they more common? The ground

being that as societies progress and go more complex, it is necessary for the

governing elite to be more knowing of the procedures by which a authorities is

operated. This explains the return of civilian-run authoritiess. The

military may hold a few leaders who are skilled politically, but the armed

forces are non customarily trained to run authoritiess. Remember that the function of

the armed forces is to protect and function the province, hence there is normally a

rhythm, known as the Barracks rhythm, in which the military brings about a putsch,

but later reestablishes civilian control, and is the new province threatens

governmental stableness, the military phases yet another putsch, etc. The thirster

the military corsets in power, the more the political province exists unstably.

In Nigeria, for case, legion military putschs were staged between

1966 to 1978. In 1978, democracy was peacefully reestablished by public

consensus, but five old ages subsequently democracy fell one time more to a military putsch.

Military swayers since so have negotiated the possibility of the Restoration of

democracy in Nigeria, but attempts have been inactive and democracy still has non

been established. Greece was operated by the armed forces from 1967 through 1973.

The military authorities was maintained for the six old ages by austere bossy

steps. In 1974, the military authorities was dismissed and democracy was

reinstated. The usage of coercion as agencies of deriving power by the right-wing

officers was a manner for them to try the constitution of liberty.

The construct of legitimacy in military authoritiess is besides questionable.

Other types of authoritiess such as democratic, monarchal, and Communist

authoritiess are all legitimized either by the electoral procedure as the

democratic authorities is, by the regulation of sequence as the monarchal

authorities is, or by Lenin & # 8217 ; s theory that the Communist party must take the

revolution. In all other senses, the military authorities has no procedure

of

pick and therefore is non a true political province. Shively states that

political relations, consists of the devising of common determinations for a group through the usage

of power and of public pick. Since legitimacy can be defined as the belief on

the portion of big Numberss of people in a province that the bing governmental

construction and/or the peculiar individuals in office should suitably exert

authorization, the inquiry can be asked & # 8211 ; are military authoritiess legalize? In a

timocracy, harmonizing to Plato, the province is based on aspiration and love award and

war. When sing the thought of award, the armed forces is so concerned with

the rationalisation of its tenancy of the province and are therefore capable to

establish a civilian-run authorities.

It is besides necessary to understand the failing of internal alliances

in military authoritiess. Analyzing the construction of the military, one discoveries

that it consists of different subdivisions ( navy, ground forces, Mariness, and air force ) and

different officers. Each subdivision, though a portion of one military force, is

invariably in competition with each other. This creates trouble in

carry throughing undertakings assigned to the force as a whole. The deficiency of communicating

and the presence of the self-importance creates a failure to win and an unfinished undertaking.

Besides the presence of officers of dissimilar doctrines and political orientations induces

pandemonium when instructed to finish certain undertakings with each other. In 1983, a

terrorist onslaught occurred in Grenada and the United States planned to direct

military assistance. Each subdivision was cognizant of inducements which created competition

between the navy, Mariness, and ground forces. The officers of each subdivision could non

agree on a scheme to work with and eventually a group of Mariness was sent in to

command the guerilla soldiers. They finally were fired upon by the

terrorists and a big figure of Mariness were killed. The fact that the naval forces,

Mariness, and ground forces all had different devices of communicating contributed to the

failure of the three groups to successfully get the better of the terrorists and save the

lives of the soldiers killed. How could the military perchance run a authorities

when they can & # 8217 ; t map reciprocally? Due to their weak external consensus, they

can & # 8217 ; t. Either one of those subdivisions will be strong plenty and take over as the

dominant group and set up an autarchy or the alliance will interrupt down and

return to the old signifier of authorities or germinate to a new sophisticated

authorities.

In any instance, military authoritiess are weak internally and externally.

They pose as signifiers of transitional authoritiess, non needfully in times of

revolution, but in times when the province itself becomes weak or poses a menace to

the position quo. Though some military authoritiess do perservere for old ages and

old ages without being overthrown, their inability to run the province expeditiously

forces the armed forces to reconstruct democracy or to present another overthrow of the

authorities. Besides, because the military authorities itself takes power through no

regular procedure as other, more stable signifiers of authorities, but merely seizes it,

they encounter the job of legitimacy. Last, alliances internally are in

itself a whole other authorities. The failing and competition nowadays between

these alliances normally causes the ruin of the military authorities and

installment of a new civilian-run authorities decided so by the general consensus.

By and large, all military authoritiess will neglect in clip and return to it old

authorities or germinate to a whole new governmental system with a revolution.