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Power causes corruption
Other serious impact of corruption
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Tyrannical Power
The question why is power so easily corrupted into tyranny is something that has been important to humanity for a long time. The simple answer to that question is that power corrupts human beings who wish for power.
There are many ways to gain power. Convincing others of the same status that the current system is corrupt and that with a new idea everyone can benefits seems to be the method used to most.
Simply the reason others believe the ambitious party is because most of the time they system is corrupt and flawed. The fact that the previous system was corrupt makes it easy for a new group or individual to seize control. Then the new system works fine and everyone is happy until the new power holder realizes that others listen to them and start to exploit others with their power. Why this happens is because for a short time everything is better. Those the power holder commands see what life used to be like and say “Hey this new leader has made everything better we will do whatever he asks.” Then the whole process starts again when an ambitious party or person starts the whispering.
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When this happens the person or group in power my start to believe that what is harming others does not matter because it barely affects their citizens. The issue with this is that after a while what “barely affects their citizens” builds up and starts to cause issues. Another why power is so easily corrupted into tyranny is that those with power often believe that there is a reason they have power so they should use that power. The issue with this is that very often that person abuses the power in order to make a more comfortable life for
You may be thinking how did the constitution stop tyranny? Well we have the answer. Let's start of with what tyranny means, that a leader or king abuses their power. How did the constitution guard against tyranny? Well they abuse their power bad deeds. The constitution guard against tyranny in these four ways. Federalism, separation of power, checks and balances, and small states vs. large states.
The corruptive nature of power can be observed in both novels Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945) and The Wave by Todd Strasser (1981). In the wise words of Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." (Phrase Finder, 2012) The simple nature of mankind is to want power and when man achieves this, he gets addicted, wants more and thus becomes corrupt. This exploitation of dominance relates to when the dictator loses his moral values and abuses power purely for his own benefit and loses sight of what the initial goals were. Even the best intentions, such as those that were only just formed in Animal Farm and The Wave, can be distorted by the basic human instinct of selfishness
In the Summer of 1787, fifty-five delegates representing 12 out of the 13 states in Philadelphia to fix the Articles of Confederation. They met in philadelphia because the Articles of Confederation was too weak. Shay’s rebellion was the end of the Articles of Confederation bringing down the whole network calling for a change of government. They did this to prevent a tyrant or tyranny. A tyrant/tyranny is when someone or a group abuses their power. The Constitution guarded against tyranny through Federalism, Separation of powers, Checks and Balances, and The Great Compromise.
“The accumulation of all power...in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many (is) the very definition of tyranny.”, James Madison once said this in order to show that there are many types of tyranny. Which is very true due to the fact that one person can have all the power or even up to multiple people. In May of 1778 our founding fathers met in Philadelphia in order to solve the problem that the articles of confederation weren't working and that they needed to come up with something better hence the Constitution. In the constitution you can see that it guards against tyranny in the way of checks and balances, how the house of representatives and senate work, the separation of power between the branches, and federalism.
Power is earned, not given. There are many different types of power that people can earn. Power becomes a problem when it is not questioned or tested. Therefore, the one with the power would have total control over anything or anyone they wanted, or they would feel that way. People with power feel invincible when it is not questioned. Throughout history it has been proven that this creates a problem. For example, Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal is similar to the scandal with Father Flynn in Doubt. Doubt, by John Patrick Shanley, exemplifies an underlying message that unquestioned faith leads to abuse of power. Specifically, shown in Father Flynn’s reputation, cover up, and resignation, which all correlate to Richard Nixon’s Watergate Scandal.
... point, ambitious politicians begin to brainwash their constituents until they [the officials] get what they want and the people no longer trust the politicians and become apathetic toward the entire system.
Power is the source of all corruption as supported by Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities. The characters Monseigneur, Marquis of Evermonde, and the revolutionaries all become corrupt in the end because of the power they possessed. If they did not possess power, they would not have been able to complete the actions they had planned to. Then, if they’re actions did not occur, the corruption they caused would cease to exist
The statement, “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”, simply means that the more power one has – the more control one has over people – then the more corrupt it is possible for that person to become. This statement is certainly correct if the person with the power has certain proclivities towards corruption. There are many examples in the book, “Animal Farm”, by George Orwell, of power corrupting those in charge because they had these tendencies. In the story, the most powerful animals are the two pigs, Napoleon and, to a lesser degree, Snowball. During the course of the story these pigs used their power to get more power, and in the process their inclinations towards corruption triumphed. When Old Major, the boar who came up with the idea of all animals uniting against humans, died, Napoleon and Snowball saw an opportunity where they could take control and took it. Napoleon used force to get rid of Snowball and take all the power for himself, and he used fear to keep the other animals from revolting. He used scapegoats so that he could not be blamed for anything that went wrong, and propaganda to brainwash the animals into loyal slaves. Napoleon changed and broke the commandments of Animal Farm to benefit himself, and he lacked empathy for all those who worked hard for him, executing those that might cause him trouble.
At this point, with an understanding of what power is, what it means, how it is created and the various means through which it is expressed, one can begin to conceptualise how it is that power functions within a given society. Symbolic, cultural, social and economic capital distribute and perpetuate power within a society, through a cycle of transformation whereby these capital resources can be interchanged and manipulated to the advantage of individuals who have
In conclusion, power is often a source of violence. As a result the desire for power breaks down the boundaries set by rules and order, causes strife and competition, and governs the actions of many to act upon the animalistic instincts that are set deep inside even the best of us. There for once achieved, power has the ability to either improve or corrupt its holder.
Power is like a drug. Once someone gets a taste, they cannot get enough. People do horrible things to get power, to keep power. Look at countries that have have the same president for ten years; is that fair? In Lord
All lifeforms have the inner instinct to obtain power. It is something that defines who we are and what we do. Power can be the threshold of happiness and also the threshold of hell. For example, throughout history in various countries around the world, there have been numerous struggles for power. The fact of the matter is people want to be on top, they want to rule over something whether it is a plot of land or an idea in technology. In Cuba, Fidel Castro employed his military tactics to overthrow and take over the Cuban government so that he could rule the country himself as a supreme dictator would. Castro was able to obtain the power that he desired. In another, more relatable example, a school bully utilizes the same technique that Castro did. The bully and his/her posse will go around the school belittling other kids to gain power amongst their fellow peers until they have total control of the entire school. Kennan writes, “Sometimes, unfortunately it exists in irregular forces- in underworld groups, criminal gangs, or informal associations of a vigilante nature- capable of terrorizing their fellow citizens in one degree or another.” The author is correct in stating that sometimes power is given to people who abuse it or do not deserve it. However, sometimes power is correctly distributed, such as in the United States government where there are three branches that each monitor and contain the power of the other. Kennan believes that power persuades people to act and think a certain way, especially the power of
Ever Since the development of societies, governments have been put into place and a sense of power has existed. People have gone to extreme ends in order to obtain and keep their positions of power. This is seen in ancient history with the assassination of Julius Caesar, and in recent history the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. These are examples of the psychology of power taking advantage of people. All people who are given an ounce of power are bound to abuse it when put in a political position instead of protecting people’s rights.
The allure of power and the difficulty of resisting said temptation has long been an issue for several rulers. In the metaphorical comparison of the Russian Revolution and Animal Farm by George Orwell, both face the temptation of power and ultimately fall to is corruption. Stalin and his animal representation, Napoleon, are proof that the quote “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” by Lord Acton rings true.
Power is both a good and evil thing. With power, a person has the potential to change the world. With power, a person’s words would be so influential, that anything would be possible. But when a person uses power for evil, it could possibly provoke the most horrible events imaginable. One person who used power for evil was a character from the movie Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith created by George Lucas. The characters name was Chancellor Palpatine. In a span of about fifteen years, he was able to manipulate the political system of the Galactic Republic so that he would come to power. With various events such as the Clone Wars, he gained more and more power as Chancellor, so much so that the only thing that the Chancellor feared was to lose his power.