It depends on definitions. The most common form of government throughout history has been ABSOLUTE MONARCHY. Some people consider "absolute monarchy" to be a subset of dictatorships, in which case, dictatorships, which include numerous other forms of government other than absolute monarchies, would be the most common form of government throughout history. If monarchy is considered independently of Dictatorship (usually because dictatorship is defined as having a non-hereditary assumption of power), then the numbers of dictatorships are far outweighed by millenia of absolute monarchies, especially in the Ancient, Classical, and Medieval World.
novanet--economic instability
Totalitarianism. wrong! its dictatorships (:
This partly depends on what you mean by a dictatorship and what you mean by "have Islam as a religion". Parade magazine publish a list of dictatorships; countries with an authoritarian leader with no legal ways of replacement. Of the top twenty dictatorships, nine could be said to be largely Islamic, so based on this most dictatorships are not Islamic.
There is no blanket answer, however most dictatorships do not exercise limited authority over people.
They have a lot of common cultures, politics and economics
Totalitarianism. wrong! its dictatorships (:
Fascist countries have almost always been dictatorships.
Dictatorships like Cuba and No. Korea are good examples.
...an oppressed population, gun control, and effective use of mass media/propaganda
Most nations have limited government. Those that do not are absolute monarchies and dictatorships.
socialism
The 8 most common linking verbs are: be, am, is, are, was, were, seem, and become.