Despotism in your community

Posted on October 23, 2008
Filed Under Politics | Leave a Comment

Despotism is a form of government in which a single individual (the Despot) or a small group of individual rule with absolute power. Despotism has been around for a long time and it is not going away any time soon. Even communities that deem democratic and immune to this type of governance can slowly drift towards tyranny.

The video below is an Encyclopedia Britannica newsreel made in 1946 with the goal of educating classrooms about political science. A fascinating and frightening look at how to judge the level of freedom in your community. And if you think that because you live in what seems as a democratic community just because you get to cast your vote once every 4 years electing some random person that you had never heard of before then think again. The signs of despotism (concentration of economic power, decision making and ownership of the press to the hands of a few people) are everywhere in seemingly democratic countries today. Just watch the video and then take a few minutes to think how your community rates in the scale of despotism and democracy.