Power Leads to Corruption

Power can be defined as the authority or control given to a person. Because it is such an intense force, it can heavily influence one’s behavior and tends to corrupt or demoralize. Power leading to corruption can be shown by character Brutus in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Brutus is given the opportunity to do what he believes is right and this power gets to his head. Power however can not simply change an individual but rather intensify who they already are.

Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain or wrong doer is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing, showcased in Animal Farm as Utopian ideals but with failed practices.

In 1887, historian John Dalberg-Acton asserted, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This theme has a prominent role in history, literature, and even current times. Certainly, many instances have occurred where once someone earns authority, they allow it to get to their head and do things they would not have done otherwise. Similarly, it is also seen that when one is inferior or beneath others, they receive a hunger for power. Specifically, a few prime examples of people who became corrupted because of their dominance include Marc Antony from Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Joseph Stalin, and Kim Jong-un. These rulers negatively impacted the places they ruled all because of their abusive tendencies that came with dominance.

Thesis statement: Power has the ability to corrupt someone but I believe it depends on the strength of the person to decide if it will overtake them or not.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men,” quoting historian Lord Acton. Before reading the quote, I never noticed the relationship between power and corruption in the real world. I thought of power as a form of recognition for hard work, that in turn is a positive outcome. After putting some thought into it, I realized my mistake

Recently, everyone has begun to wonder the same thing: why are so many leaders so… corrupt? Why do they care only about a miniscule group of people, throwing aside morals altogether? The feeling of power creates a superiority complex, letting power go to a leader’s head and giving them the desire and means to execute terrible things. This is a problem because many people in our world acquire their power because others believe they can improve the world. Once power takes control, they become corrupt. It is essential for the public to understand this because otherwise, people in power will gain this complex.

As humans when we have power we find ourselves using it to better ourselves. We take power of granted or use it for our advantage. Some people would say it’s “Human nature.” Power is when you have authority or control over things. Many times when power is given to the wrong person things are ruined. This is because when people have power they think about what they want and not about other people's opinion. Frequently people with power think they are better than everyone else and always know what's right. There are many times in history when power influenced or created destruction. Innocent people can be manipulated by authorities and forced into doing something that they have no desire doing. This is common pattern in history. For example Hitler was given power and created a government that killed more than 6 million innocent people. This was a prime example that when power is given to the wrong person destruction is the product. In his novel, Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury shows that when power is given to the wrong people, destruction is often the outcome. After there is destruction, you have to build up from what you have left.

The actions of a powerful individual can be psychological interpreted with a single statement: “absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The general idea of power is to show leadership amongst a community, but there are distinctly two types of power a leader has. A socialized influence which benefits the community or a personalized power that results in the personal gain of the leader. The corruption of power occurs when a leader, whether it is subconscious or not, allows personalized power to dominate their socialized influence. Robert Penn Warren uses All the King’s Men to illustrate that power is corrupting and results in the destruction of political machines through the ideological views of Willie Stark, the unethical decisions he is compelled

Power is more corruptive than powerlessness. I have come to this belief throughout my studies. The corruption of power can be seen in historically based literature, as well as psychological studies. Stanford Prison experiment exemplifies power corrupting because an experiment is the basis for scientific proof.

Jack Feldman once wrote “Power tends to corrupt in absolute.” For the majority of society this is true, power is too much for most to responsibly manage. Power alone is not a corruptive tool, but it is often used selfishly or to provoke fear and violence.

Power and corruption are concepts that are difficult to fully understand. Several controversies occur within these topics. There are both conventional and unconventional ways of viewing power. In an attempt to make a claim contrary to common belief, David Brin stated, “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible.” This statement is not accurate because power is the corrupting device responsible for a plethora of downfalls leaders have experienced.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Power serves no purpose but to be used. Through usage, it becomes a magnifying glass capable of analyzing the psyche of the one in power. Because of the horrendous acts of some of the tainted minds power has unraveled, society often arrives at the maximum: power corrupts. Although there are those in power who chose to use it as a ways of self-interest, it is the mindset of the person that serves as the bases of corruption, not the access to power.

The actual quote was said by a man named Lord Acton, who is saying that power has a chance to corrupt people, but when you have all the power you are definitely corrupt. Does power corrupt automatically? It is a human nature that when, one desires more power the more corrupts actions he/she will commit to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a noble shows who craves power which leads him to do terrible things. This is one of many examples, of corruption in this story.

Power can corrupt people. With great power, comes great responsibility. When given such great power, it is very possible to end up corrupting. The two stories, “The Man in the Well”, and “The Stanford Prison Experiment”, has power making people corrupt. Corruption could be a very serious problem when it comes to high powers.

In the book “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” by William shakespeare there was a lot of violence. All power tends to corrupt, and absolute corrupts power corrupts absolutely. I agree with this statement, because I believe having power would corrupt you. People want that power, people will do anything to get that power to make everyone do what they want, at their command. Having power could make you do bad things. When people have power they are in control and won’t make the best decisions.