The strongman myth
Why do we believe that strong men are the best solution to a political problem? And why do certain men believe and take it upon themselves to try to become these strong men to solve their country’s or the world’s problems?
History is full of names that we hear and associate with greatness: Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Julius Caesar, Tutankhamon… just to name a few. The ‘greatness’ that we associate with these names is perhaps the main reason why many current politicians want to emulate them in order to be the next “great man”.
Few would dispute that Donald Trump’s desire to “Make America Great Again” is a clear pursuit of glory, but there are other contemporary politicians who seem to fall under the glory-seeking category, such as: Vladimir Putin (Russia), Xi Jinping (China), Viktor Orban (Hungary), Kim Jong Un (North Korea) along with his father and grandfather Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung, Nicolás Maduro (in Venezuela) and his predecessor Hugo Chavez.
So what can we deduce or learn from these examples and from the theory of the great man?
Perhaps the most important lessons come from two prominent names that don’t exactly fit into the great many theory: Adolf Hitler and Cleopatra. Few need a reminder of who Adolf Hitler was and the terrors he accomplished less than 100 years ago, while Cleopatra is perhaps one of the most famous leaders of ancient Egypt despite the fact that she was a woman.
So the lesson here is precisely that men (and women) can accomplish unspeakable horrors thanks to an idle or careless society, and women can also be remembered for greatness thanks to a hard-working and dedicated society.
In other words, despite the fact that political leaders often control the politics and national resources, it is the people who are in a position to support or resist the advancement of their policies. Almost all great men have reached power by taking advantage of a divided society, but it is society who will ultimately decide if they sit-and-watch, watch-and-follow, or think-and-lead.
