The rule of law isn't regarded or respected at all. The ruler can break the rules as they please because in dictatorship, one person has absolute power.
i.e.: The country Sneep ( clearly fictional) is under a dictatorship. The ruler is Jeff.
There's a rule forbidding people from scratching in public.
Jeff scratches himself in public.
Only Jeff finds relief to his itches in public.
Only Jeff
He must consider protest laws, the crowd of either supporters or fighters, jail time, and people’s safety.
Originally the United States only had atomic weapons, but that all changed when in 1949 the U.S.S.R (or the Soviet Union) set off an atomic bomb, which started the Nuclear Arms race.
Hope this helps, have a BLESSED day! :-)