Military dictatorship

A military dictatorship is a form of government wherein the political power resides with the military and\or a military force exerts complete or substantial control over political authority. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military.

A military dictatorship may have political rather than military leaders where they are appointed and kept in place by the military.

Normally, they result from a coups that toppled the government. Military dictatorships are prevalent in countries where the military has stronger cohesion than other social institutions.

The Brazilian military government was the authoritarian military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from April 1, 1964 to March 15, 1985.