That’s only half of it. The other half is staying in power and dealing with all the people under you.
The problem is that the dictator is never the only “evil shit” in the regime. Dictators are evil shit magnets for entire bureaucracies full of ladder-climbing sycophants.
Then comes the long-term problem: information and trust. When you’re the dictator everyone wants to be your best friend. They will tell you anything to get what they want. You will soon realize that you can’t trust anyone. That’s when the paranoia sets in. You’ll reorganize your entire government around loyalty to you, not beliefs or abilities, because that’s the only way to survive.
This is why all dictatorships end up looking the same over the long run. They have only one goal: continued survival of the dictatorship. Anything else leads to collapse and death or exile of the dictator.
That’s only half of it. The other half is staying in power and dealing with all the people under you.
The problem is that the dictator is never the only “evil shit” in the regime. Dictators are evil shit magnets for entire bureaucracies full of ladder-climbing sycophants.
Then comes the long-term problem: information and trust. When you’re the dictator everyone wants to be your best friend. They will tell you anything to get what they want. You will soon realize that you can’t trust anyone. That’s when the paranoia sets in. You’ll reorganize your entire government around loyalty to you, not beliefs or abilities, because that’s the only way to survive.
This is why all dictatorships end up looking the same over the long run. They have only one goal: continued survival of the dictatorship. Anything else leads to collapse and death or exile of the dictator.