Dictators and Democrats

The trouble with power is that it seduces as well as corrupts. If we all steered clear of power, it would never have a chance to do its corrupting, but for some of us its allure is irresistible. We find that, like Cleopatra in Enobarbus’ account, power makes hungry where most it satisfies.

If Colonel Papadopoulos could have brought himself to step aside two years ago, he would have been listed on the Greek record as hero instead of villain, but by then he was hooked on power. From the start he had been kicked around by the global media, but I remain convinced from personal observation as well as indirect testimony that, outside of Athens, Greek opinion was initially favorable to the Colonels and was well satisfied with the results of their rule during the first four or five years after the April 1967 coup.

JB

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James Burnham

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The trouble with power is that it seduces as well as corrupts. If we all steered clear of power, it would never have a chance to do its corrupting, but for some of us its allure is irresistible. We find that, like Cleopatra in Enobarbus’ account, power makes hungry where most it satisfies.

If Colonel Papadopoulos could have brought himself to step aside two years ago, he would have been listed on the Greek record as hero instead of villain, but by then he was hooked on power. From the start he had been kicked around by the global media, but I remain convinced from personal observation as well as indirect testimony that, outside of Athens, Greek opinion was initially favorable to the Colonels and was well satisfied with the results of their rule during the first four or five years after the April 1967 coup.