The modern reader is likely to perceive the term "dictatorship" as synonymous with the words "despotism" and "tyranny," recalling the notorious regimes of the 20th century. However, for the Romans, this term was associated with entirely different things. To learn about how the Romans perceived dictatorship, how it functioned, and how it changed over time, read the article by historian Nikita Tsybikov.

The specialist in Roman history of Antiquity, Nikita Tsybikov, suggests tracing the political history of Rome from the first symptoms of the crisis of the republican model in the second half of the 2nd century BC to the decline of the rule of the first dynasty of emperors from the Julio-Claudian family in the second half of the 1st century AD.