securocracy means The police and security service that dominated the South African government in the 1980s. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 92 out of 100.
Why this word is great
SECUROCRACY — [Noun] A government or state apparatus dominated by military and security services, characterized by their pervasive influence over policy and civil life. The term is a blend of 'security' (from Latin securitas, meaning 'freedom from care or danger') and the combining form '-cracy' (from Greek -kratia, from kratos, meaning 'power, rule'), modeled on words like 'bureaucracy'. Unlike bureaucracy, which entangles with procedure, or plutocracy, which kneels to wealth, a securocracy is ruled by the promise of threat and the machinery of its suppression. It is the silent census of the camera at the street corner, the rustle of a file being opened without cause, and the palpable warmth of a surveillance camera lens fixed on the back of your neck—a system that trades the anxiety of liberty for the calm of the guarded cage.
noun
- The police and security service that dominated the South African government in the 1980s.
- Any of the powerful security services of certain other governments in countries throughout the world.