despotism

/ˈdɛspəˌtɪzəm/
noun
  1. A system of government or rule in which a single person or group has total power and often uses it cruelly or unfairly.
    • The country suffered under decades of despotism before the revolution.
    • The company's culture of despotism made employees afraid to share new ideas.
    • Many philosophers have written about the dangers of despotism in government.