This concerns the nature of power:
He also said: Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or certainty of corruption by authority.
The idea, or one: having great power convinces the holder they are right, more right than others. Their powers of insight, their knowledge, is in direct proportion to the power they wield. A stupid man with power will think he's a genius, intellectually superior to others.
Two examples of this, although neither was stupid: Hitler and Stalin, both of whom appear to have seen themselves as intellectually superior to all others. Shockingly wrong, and by itself stupid. I can think of a number in my time: Thatcher and Blair, even though their power was limited by comparison.
Even someone of limited intellectual capacity, once they accrue immense power will start to equate power with supreme intelligence! Maybe your boss, or someone you know with power in a more limited fashion.
Capital TRUE. Some get to power as heroes, liberating their people from impunity. For this, they enjoy full support of the people and have total control of their territory. Over the time, they may become power drunk and tend to stay long in power. Manipulations, adoption, killings, corruption and so on become their weapons to rule over the land they claimed to love. Definitely, Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The effect on personality is certainly crucial. People with power suffer personality alteration, they begin to see themselves as better, entitled, special. At this stage they can feel others are not as important as them and killing becomes of less consequence.
"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." True?
It is definitely true. The old adaggio is real and current: "If you want to really know a person, give him power!
It is true for all forms of democratic government in both developed and developing or underdeveloped countries. The examples of the dictators Hitler and Stalin are always on the tip of the tongue. But the "great democrats" of the planet were not and are not immune. Presidents of all those countries, either by action or by inaction, participated directly or were permissive in the face of acts of corruption in their immediate environment (which means being corrupt too, because some secondary benefit they had). For something there are classified files and for something the richest 5% of the world population concentrates more than 50% of the planet's wealth. Monopolies, large companies, multinationals in the national and planetary order are corrupt.
If you believe that honest people will not be corrupted, give them time and you will see them.
The recent debate on narcissism within or affecting politicians is proportional to their power. That is the more power a politician obtains, the more special they believe they are. Erdogan of Turkey's seeming economic incompetence is ignored by him and his continued assessments of his own abilities goes higher and higher, when in fact he appears in reality to be just another right-wing politician. But that can be said for many others. Power enacts personality change.
True.
Power has two options to offer for "good guys tryin' to change the world":
1. Resist and keep your principles. You will be out of the game real soon. System is much more than an individual.
2. Conform and be what system wants you to be. "When in Rome..." This would make it possible for you to stay in power, also providing opportunities that come along.
So for those who strive for power this should be kept in mind.