Re: (TFT) Politics ramblings

[PvK <pvk@oz.net>]

There are also many cases where a body of secondary powerful people choose who the next leader will be, often based on how likely they are to be able to control and profit from him being the supposed leader. The criteria for that leader may include such things as stupidity, weak will, good crowd face, lack of publicly known character flaws, presence of things the person can be blackmailed or threatened about, family connections, and short life expectancy due to age or health conditions or murderous enemies.

Famous Earth examples include a very large fraction of the medieval and Renaissance popes, Ford, Reagan, Quale, Palin, G.W. Bush...

--- barnswallow@sbcglobal.net wrote:

If we're looking at the origins of governments on Cidri, then I would  
imagine it's a lot like it's happened on Earth many, many times  
through the centuries:
- Guy with Charisma, New Followers, Diplomacy, Tactics and (maybe)  
Strategy gets ambitious.
- He builds a strong core of followers, who are loyal to him and him  
only, through his Charisma and New Followers talents.
- He uses Diplomacy to keep his neck out of the noose, at least in the  
early stages before he's built a powerful support base.
- When enough people are loyal to him, he kicks out any pre-existing  
government and sets up a new one. The weaker the old government, the  
easier this is.
- He keeps control of his new governmnt partly through the continued  
loyalty of his followers (who may become his lieges in a newly-created  
feudal system), and partly through threat of force.
- If the ruler survives long enough in his position of power, he can  
choose his successor (historically, often his own son), and teach them  
how to run things in his absence.
- With time and propaganda, the people come to believe in the power,  
majesty, divine right, etc. of the new ruler.

Famous Earth people that used this tactic, or a modification of it,  
include Napoleon, Hitler (and several other 20th century dictators),  
Charles Martel (grandfather of Charlemagne), and Julius Caesar.

...
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