In this essay I will attempt to prove that a ‘typical tyrant’ does not exist as each have their own ambitions. The issue with asking whether there is such thing as a typical tyrant arises from the fact that we must consider what the word ‘tyrant’ actually means. The Oxford Classical Dictionary states, “Tyranny was not a special form of constitution, or necessarily a reign of terror; the tyrant might either rule directly or retain the existing political institutions but exercise a preponderant influence over their working, and his rule might be benevolent or malevolent.” , clearly tyranny is not as simple as the modern connotation of a power-hungry despot. In comparison, the Cambridge Dictionary Online defines tyranny as, “government by a …show more content…
Contrary to the modern view of a tyrant as a warlord, some were actually quite invested in the arts and in building projects. Herodotos records that the same bloodthirsty Periander also supported the poet Arion in his invention of the dithyramb . This suggests another facet to Periander’s character (he is not just bloodthirsty, he is political too) which makes it harder to state that there is such a thing as a common tyrant. Pausanias (AD 110-c.180) comments on Theagenes’ fountain-house at Megara which was, “remarkable for its size, beauty and the number of pillars” ; this show of euergetism and munificence would make a tyrant seem important, powerful and remind the people that he is their leader. Interestingly, the tyrant of Samos, Polykrates paid the poet Ibykos to glorify himself with the quotation, “…and you Polykrates will have undying renown” which is a contribution to the arts and a means of building his own prestige. Thus we see that some tyrants follow a more political and shrewd concept of governance which actually comes into conflict with Plato and Aristotle’s views that a tyrants’ rule is barbaric in nature as these same tyrants use wisdom to craft their personae.
In conclusion, there is no such thing as a typical tyrant as ambitions vary between each tyrant. Thus, a leader such as Pittakos is defined by Aristotle as an aisymnetes which is an elected tyrant whose rule is tyrant-like and non-ancestral meaning that it is not inherited like the Kypselid tyranny. This illustrates the point that ‘tyrant’ is just a label used to depict one-man rule and therefore it is difficult to speak of a common tyrant as they each their own
A tyrant is a ruler who exercises power in a harsh, cruel manner, who puts his own interests over the best interests of the general population which he governs or controls and whose authority lacks sanction of law or custom.
Alexander the Great the king who took the throne around the age of 20. This young man was the heir of Philip II, since it was his father. After his father was assassinated he took the throne. In 323 BC he was working on plans for new projects, including beginning new cities, when he caught a fever. Not much later on he died at the age of 33 years old. Historians believed that Alexander was a hero for the many lands that he conquered, the Greek culture that was spread and that he has never lost a battle. Although he did have these achievements there is a lot that he has done that composes him to be a villain. Alexander the Great did many terrible things that makes him a villain, he put many people into slavery and also slaughtered people, there was no respect for the citizens, and he did not care about architecture that was made.
Pericles and Alexander the Great are known as two Greek Icons who developed Greece into one of the most prestigious empires in history. During their time, Greece was vastly advanced and influenced western civilization today. The first leader to unselfishly use the political system of democracy, Pericles wanted to strengthen Greece influence around the world and pushed for other states to adopt democracy. Pericles allowed even the poorest citizens to hold a seat in office if elected by their peers. Alexander the Great was one of the greatest leaders and emperors of all time earning the name of “the great”. Today Alexander the Great is known as a conquering leader who created one of the largest empires of all time. Both Pericles and Alexander the Great are remembered today as some of the most accomplished and respected leaders in living memory.
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.
Plato’s account of a tyrant is close to that of the “great” Soviet Leader, Joseph Stalin. In Book IX of the Republic, Glaucon notes that under a tyrannic rule, a city or state will be tragic and depressing; additionally, it is also stated that city will always experience more freedom and content under a king. (Bloom, 257). This account is a key factor in comparing Stalin with the Republic, as Stalin’s ambitions were similar with Plato’s descriptions. Using other descriptions from Plato’s Republic, it clear that Joseph Stalin fits Plato’s account of a tyrant. The Soviet regime under Joseph Stalin suffered greatly and the tyrant rule of Stalin was oppressive, restrictive, and produced great amounts of casualties. We are comparing how Plato’s account for a tyrant is accurate of the results of Joseph Stalin; that a city will experience freedom with kingship, as well as darkness and scrutiny under a tyranny.
A tyrant is a supreme ruler who take all power for himself or herself. Or we can
Tyranny in America How does the Constitution guard against tyranny? In May 1787 55 individuals went to Philadelphia to respond to the call for a Constitutional Convention. They met to fix The Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was the current system of government that did not work out so well. It did not have a court system and any ruler could be a tyrant, with The Article of Confederation.
Tyranny is an abuse of power by one or more persons called tyrannical leaders. Tyrannical leaders are seen throughout history and are still prevalent today. Tyrants abuse the power given to them or the power they inherited, to restrict the people and to benefit their own needs rather than the needs of the governed. A notorious tyrant that shaped the current political system is King George. Under his rule, he abused his power and limited the freedoms of his subjects.
In 1787, a meeting to create a stronger central government took place in Philadelphia. The subject of this meeting was to create a stronger central government because the current government had weakened under the Articles of Confederation.The goal of this meeting was to prevent any group or person from gaining too much power.The Constitution will be able to guard against tyranny by implicating tactics like Federalism, Separation of Powers,Checks and Balances, and Big States vs. Small States.
In the paper presented below, the author assembles an idea about populism as a modern tyranny, taking book IX as a reference for the similarity of certain features among a populist leader today, with the tyrant of yesterday described by Plato. According to Socrates the democratic man arose from the oligarchic father when he dared to place in the same rank the necessary and unnecessary desires enjoying them in moderation. In Book IX of the treatise of Plato 's Republic, Socrates argues his disciple Adeimantus as the Democratic son of a man becomes a tyrant when he lets himself be dragged by evil companies that incite him to seek the pleasure of the forbidden at best dark of his being,
Dictatorship throughout the ages has mainly led to oppression and conflict between people and government. Some of the notoriously bad dictators took office around the 1920’s and 1930’s. There were three main dictators in that time period and they all ran different countries in very different ways. Josef Stalin was known as the dictator of the Soviet Union, he was all about communism and did not care if there was opposition to his ideas. On the other hand, Benito Mussolini was in charge of Italy and all about fascism. Possibly the worst known dictator of all times was Hitler, in charge of, Germany, he was all about Nazism. Each had a different outlook on ruling, but they all did things similarly to lead to nations hatred against them. Basically, their ultimate goal was to do what was best for their countries, however, there want for power tended to get in the way. They all wanted to accomplish many things, they used many different ideas and ways to run their nations. They were all blamed for their nations demise in one way or another. This essay will discuss the similarities and differences between Stalin, Hitler, and Mussolini.
The nature of Hellenistic kingship is defined by a rise to power through military conquest and victories and being in a constant state of warfare. One weakness of these kings would their ability gain a vast territory of land during one battle and retain it for months until they lose it during another battle. Demetrius’ life can be viewed as an example of many instances of this struggle to hold power. The nature of Hellenistic kingship should be looked described as no more than gaining power through military actions. These rulers could be considered usurpers of Alexander’s empire even though they all attested that they were attempting to reunite it.
In the plays of Sophocles, we see various form and displays of political power. It is shown in a variety of ways. In both plays we see very similar displays of political power. When you think of political power today it is very different to how it was viewed back in the time of Sophocles. Sophocles shows examples of political power in his plays and these examples have many connections to people or things. In King Oedipus, we see an arrogant and very mean king. He cares about what the people need and want but he is arrogant and mean about it at the same time. He is also very paranoid about the people around him. During the time of King Oedipus, the king literally controlled everything. Kings during this time often relied on others when it came to making decisions such as the gods. We can ask many questions when it comes to political power in the plays of Sophocles. Can an arrogant leader really make the right choices for the people? We have many examples of how these leaders used their political power. Political power in both of these stories had tragic outcomes. We can also ask if the rulers were really making mad decisions or if they were really just a victim of some unfortunate events. One thing is for sure, political power was really prevalent in the time of Sophocles and we can see that in both King Oedipus and Antigone. We also get a sense of how society and politics were in this period of time by learning from the writing of Sophocles and the actions of Creon and King
A tyrant leader will run his state into the ground before giving up what he believes in about how society should be run. Tyrants do not account for the thoughts of individuals. Their priority is to quickly and quietly take over the freedom of the citizens for the prosperity of themselves. The followers will accept the changes, although not by choice. The people will cooperate with the government as long as they feel protected and not abused. The issue with tyrants and how they become so powerful is through secretly taking from their city, while causing harm among its population. At the same time, the tyrant will convince the people that his path is the best route. If one denies, the individual and their loved ones will be put under great scrutiny.
Tyranny is defined: an unequal social system involving the arbitrary or oppressive use of power by one group over another (Reicher & Haslam, 2006). The link made between groups and tyranny has a long history in social psychology being prominent nearly 2,400 years ago with the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle believed that collective rule leads to moral irresponsibility, haphazardness and is a disguised form of tyranny. Research into tyranny has been carried out ever since.