Political power, regardless of the system (dictatorship or democracy), fundamentally relies on securing and maintaining the loyalty of key supporters ("keys to power") by controlling and distributing resources (treasure). The nature of these keys and the distribution of treasure dictate the stability and characteristics of any regime.
Mind Map
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คลิกเพื่อสำรวจ Mind Map แบบอินเตอร์แอคทีฟฉบับเต็ม
[ominous music plays]
Do you want to rule?
Do you see the problems in your country and know how to fix them?
If only you had the power to do so.
Well. You've come to the right place.
But, before we begin this lesson in political power,
ask yourself,
why don't rulers see as clearly as you,
instead acting in such selfish,
self-destructive, short-sighted ways?
Are they stupid?
These most powerful people in the world?
Or, is it something else?
The throne looks omnipotent from afar,
but it is not as it seems.
Take the throne to act,
and the throne acts upon you.
Accept that or turn back now before we discuss,
The Rules for Rulers.
[upbeat music softly plays]
No matter how bright the rays of any sun king,
No. Man. Rules. Alone.
A king can’t build roads alone,
can’t enforce laws alone,
can't defend the nation,
or himself, alone.
The power of a king is not to act,
but to get others to act on his behalf,
using the treasure in his vaults.
A king needs an army, and someone to run it.
Treasure and someone to collect it,
Law and someone to enforce it.
The individuals needed to make the necessary things happen are the
king's keys to power.
All the changes you wish to make are but thoughts in your head
if the keys will not follow your commands.
In a dictatorship, where might makes right,
the number of keys to power is small,
perhaps only a dozen generals,
bureaucrats, and regional leaders.
Sway them to your side and the power to rule is yours,
but never forget, displease them,
and they will replace you.
Now, all countries lie on a spectrum from those
where the ruler needs few key supporters,
to those where the ruler needs many.
This foundation of power is why countries are different.
Yet many keys, or few, the rules are the same.
First,
get the key supporters on your side.
With them, you have the power to act.
You have everything.
Without them,
you have nothing.
Now, in order to keep those keys to power,
you must, second,
control the treasure.
You must make sure your treasure is raised
and distributed to you,
[for all your hard work]
and to the keys needed to keep your position.
This is your true work as a ruler,
figuring out how best to raise
and distribute resources,
so as not to topple the house of cards upon which
your throne sits.
Now you, aspiring benevolent dictator,
may want to help your citizens,
but your control of the treasure is what attracts rivals,
so you must keep those keys loyal.
But there’s only so much treasure in your vaults,
so much wealth your kingdom produces.
So beware.
Every bit of treasure spent on citizens
is treasure not spent on loyalty.
Thus, doing the right thing,
spending the wealth of the nation
on the citizens of the nation,
hands a tool of power acquisition to your rivals.
Treasure poured into roads, and universities, and hospitals,
is treasure a rival can promise to key supporters if only they switch sides.
Benevolent dictators can spend their take on the citizens,
but the keys must get their rewards,
for even if you have gathered the most loyal,
angelic supporters,
they have the same problem as you,
just one level down.
Being a key to power is a position of power.
They too, must watch out for rivals from
below or above,
thus the treasure they get must also
be spent to maintain their position.
The loyal and dim may stay by your side no matter what,
but smart key supporters,
will always watch the balance of power,
ready to change allegiance,
if you look to be the loser,
in a shifting web of alliances.
In countries where the keys are few,
the rewards are great,
and when violence rules,
the most ruthless are attracted,
and angels that build good works will lose
to devils that don't.
So buy all the loyalty you can, because loyalty,
in dictatorial organizations of all kinds, is everything.
For the ruler, anyway.
Thus, the dictatorship exposed.
A king who needs his court to raise the treasure
to keep the court loyal and
keep raising the treasure.
This is the self-sustaining core of power.
All. Outside. Is. Secondary.
Now a king with many key supporters has real problems,
not just their expense,
but also their competing needs and rivalries are difficult to balance.
The more complicated the social and financial web between them all,
the more able a rival is to sway a critical mass.
The more key supporters a ruler has on average,
the shorter their reign.
Which brings us to the third rule for rulers.
Minimize key supporters.
If a key in your court becomes unnecessary,
his skills no longer required,
you must kick him out.
After a successful coup,
the new dictator will purge
some of those who helped him come to power,
while working with the underlings of the previous dictator,
which, from the outside, seems a terrible idea.
Why abandon your fellow revolutionaries?
Are the old dictator's supporters not a danger?
But the keys necessary to gain power
are not the same as those needed
to keep it.
Having someone on the payroll who was vital in the past,
but useless now, is the same
as spending money on the citizens.
Treasure wasted on the irrelevant.
And by definition, a dictator that pulls off a coup
has promised greater treasure to those switching sides.
The size of the vault has not changed,
so the treasure must be split among fewer.
A dictator that sways the right keys, takes control of the treasure,
