the.com/despotism
absolute power's promise to handle everything, delivered by someone who handles nothing well
means A system of government in which one ruler holds absolute power, typically exercising it oppressively and without accountability.
from From Greek despotēs, 'master' or 'lord of the house' — the head who ruled the household and its slaves absolutely. The word traveled through Latin and into French as despotisme before reaching English in the 18th century, by which time it had grown from domestic authority to political tyranny, the master of the house now the master of everyone.
- origin
- From Greek despotes, meaning household master
- key trait
- One ruler, zero accountability, infinite excuses
- enlightened version
- Despots who read philosophy still kept the dungeons
- survival rate
- Most end in coup, exile, or worse
- favorite phrase
- Reforms are coming, trust the process