Abdur Rahman Khan's government was a military despotism resting upon a well-appointed army; it was administered through officials absolutely subservient to an inflexible will and controlled by a widespread system of espionage; while the exercise of his personal authority was too often stained by acts of unnecessary cruelty.
Abdur Rahman Khan's government was a military dictatorship, relying on a powerful army that was tightly controlled by a network of spies and officials who were completely subservient to him. His rule was marked by brutality and cruelty.