What is the difference between an absolute monarchy and a dictatorship?

The major difference between the two is that absolute monarchies are families inheriting their power while dictatorships often result from military takeovers or from an elected official who refuses to step down from his elected office.

A dictatorship is a government ruled by one commander. An example of this is Iraq. Saddam Hussein is/was the dictator of Iraq. Whatever he decides becomes law. Dictatorships are similar to absolute monarchies in that they are very oppressive to the people of the country.

http://my.ilstu.edu/~jnassar/politics.html

Things get a little confused here when you get situations like North Korea under the Kims - there's reportedly another in the wings waiting for Kim Jung-il to step down on health grounds. Also Haiti under the evil Papa Doc and the incompetent Baby Doc Duvalier. The Kims are supposedly elected, but are as much dictators as Hitler (who was elected when he came to power). On the other hand, Bokassa was an absolute monarch but an isolated one with there being no hereditary passing on of the throne. The title taken is important. Oliver Cromwell was offered the crown, but refused it to rule as king in all but name as Protector (succeeded by his reluctant son who got out as soon as things could be sorted peacefully). Very few are totally absolute rulers. You can't do it all yourself nowadays like Genghis Khan or Vlad the Impaler could. The main decisions come from the top, but the detail is handled by people who would dearly love to be rid of the boss - but can't trust their comrades. What if the person you try to get to help in a revolution turns you in because he thinks you're trying to trap him into showing disloyalty? He hates the boss as much as you do - but must survive. For more info on the nice people referred to, see appropriate Wikipedia articles.