How do tyrants achieve socio-political power, and what happens once they do? These questions are important to ponder to prepare us for the possibility that such a scenario could unfold here in the U.S.

A thoughtful and prescient attempt to answer these questions was offered by the late political scientist Betty Glad (2002). Glad examined the career trajectories of three 20th-century tyrants: Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein, looking at the psychological processes underlying their behavior.

Borrowing from ancient Greek philosophers, Glad first defined a tyrant in terms of three criteria: A tyrant (1) rules without law, (2) looks to his own advantage rather than that of his subjects, and (3) uses extreme and cruel tactics against his own people as well as others.

Glad then noted a paradox at the foundation of the tyrant’s psychology: the same qualities that enable their rise to power also undermine their ability to use that power properly. The tyrant’s grandiosity and their skills in deception, manipulation, and intimidation are advantageous for securing power. But as the tyrant consolidates power, those very tendencies will become vulnerabilities, leading to their ultimate undoing.

The cruelty that served them politically will continue absent a........

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