AI Says...
History is full of strongmen who have subjugated the masses, captivated entire nations, and devastated millions of lives through their thirst for absolute power. But beyond their own megalomania, what is most intriguing is the strange attraction that some people, even direct victims, feel toward these dictators. How can individuals who have suffered under an oppressive regime end up praising the benefits of autocracy? How can one advocate for an "enlightened dictator" after having lived in the shadow of tyranny?
The Dazzle of Absolute Power
Dictators have always known how to exploit human weaknesses: the fear of chaos, the longing for order, and the need for protective father figures. Some see them as a bulwark against instability, an iron hand capable of restoring order and prosperity. During times of crisis, this illusion becomes even more enticing. A population exasperated by the inefficiency of a democracy bogged down in internal conflicts may turn to a radical solution: entrusting all power to a single ruler.
This is where the paradox of dictatorship victims emerges. Having suffered under arbitrary rule and violence, some retain only the imposed discipline, the displayed "greatness," while disregarding the oppression they themselves endured. They suppress their own pain to focus solely on the "strength" of the regime. This psychological mechanism may serve as a form of cognitive justification: admitting that all they suffered was in vain is unbearable, so it is easier to believe that dictatorship had its merits.
The Willful Forgetting of History
Blindness to dictatorship is not just personal; it is also collective. History has already shown how these regimes end: in destruction, isolation, and often societal regression. But those who are fascinated by them choose only to see the so-called "successes"—the grandeur of Rome under Nero, the forced industrialization of the USSR under Stalin, the economic revival of Germany under Hitler. They ignore or minimize the concentration camps, the purges, and the genocides.
Striking Historical Examples
The list is long. Stalin exterminated millions of his own citizens in paranoid purges, yet some still admire him for making the USSR a superpower. Mao Zedong, responsible for the famine of the Great Leap Forward and the terror of the Cultural Revolution, remains revered by a part of the Chinese population. Saddam Hussein, whose brutality is well documented, is mourned by those who see him as the last leader to have kept Iraq united and strong.
Dictators share a common trait: an inflated ego that drives them to silence all opposition. Without checks and balances, their madness knows no limits. The fascination they inspire rests on an illusion—the belief that a providential leader can transcend history and rule unchallenged for the good of all. Yet history has consistently proven that every regime without counterweights inevitably descends into horror.
Conclusion
The appeal of dictators is not merely a matter of nostalgia or political disillusionment; it is a deep psychological and social phenomenon. It stems from a refusal to confront reality, a desire to simplify a complex world by blindly placing faith in an all-powerful leader. But the lesson that history teaches us, time and again, is that this blind admiration always ends in suffering and ruin.