Autocracy is a form of government in which one ruler has absolute control and decision-making power in all matters of state and over all the countrys people. The ruler, known as an autocrat, possesses supreme and absolute power, and their decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control. Autocracy encompasses most non-democratic forms of government, including dictatorships, monarchies, and dominant-party regimes. The autocrat has total control over the exercise of civil liberties within the autocracy, choosing under what circumstances they may be exercised, if at all. Governments may also blend elements of autocracy and democracy, forming an anocracy. Autocrats maintain power through political repression against opposition and co-optation of other influential or powerful members of society. The general public is controlled through indoctrination and propaganda, and an autocracy may attempt to legitimize itself in the eyes of the public through appeals to ideology, religion, birthright, or diplomatic recognition. Some autocracies establish legislatures, unfair elections, or show trials to further exercise control while presenting the appearance of democracy. The only limits to autocratic rule are practical considerations in preserving the regime. Autocrats must retain control over the nations elites.