Power; the textbook definition of this word is “political or
national strength”. Power of this type in moderation is quite useful and
necessary to maintain a peaceful society. However, it is when leaders abuse
this power that they become corrupt. They often start out with honest
intentions but soon are blinded by the desire for more. May it be money, fame,
or more power, personal gain soon becomes the center of these leaders’ lives.
Power is addicting, therefore it is inevitable that power always corrupts the
ones who hold it. Evidence is in favour of this statement, considering the
three corrupt political leaders that will be discussed throughout this essay.
To start,
during the 1930s, Germany
was in deep debt. In return, the people were willing to give up democracy for
financial relief. Little did they know that their nation would soon be dictated
for over a decade by a single-minded tyrant, Adolph Hitler. Hitler took
advantage of Germany ’s
money troubles, and to be honest, he did improve the economy. Once he gained
popularity, he promoted himself through propaganda as he realized he could do
almost anything. At this time, he became so greedy to dominate the world that
he used force to keep his power. He had too much influence in his hands, and
soon became corrupt. Hitler killed a number of innocent victims, many only
because he had the authority to. Ultimately, Hitler started out with the goal
of ameliorating Germany ’s
financial situation, but soon he advanced in attempt to conquer the world, for
his own benefit. Greed is what brought this man to corruption, as it did to
many other political leaders.
During the
70s, after working in many political occupations, Saddam Hussein came to power
as President of Iraq. This politician was corrupt from the start. To elaborate,
Hussein pressured the previous Prime Minister Bakr to resign in order for
Hussein to succeed into Bakr’s position. To add, he immediately had his
oppression systematically killed and he enlarged his security forces.
Furthermore, Hussein employed relatives and trusted friends in higher positions
to keep the power in his own hands. Incredibly, over 50% of the Iraqis were
hired by the government, military, or had a relative who was. These occupations
were controlled by Hussein, meaning he had an enormous amount of power and
influence in Iraq .
Hussein was so fanatical that he murdered thousands of his citizens. He didn’t
care for his country; he only strived for personal profit.
Lastly,
another example of corrupt leaders is President George W. Bush. He was elected
with promises of bettering health care, resolving environmental issues,
improving welfare, and reducing America ’s
debt. However, after two significant events, he proved to be no better than
Hitler or Hussein. To illustrate, in September 2001, there were devastating
attacks on multiple sites in USA
by the Al Qaeda. Instead of dealing with these attacks in a smart way, Bush
raised fear and brought on an unjust, unnecessary war. The majority of his
reasons to fight were for his government’s own benefit, and many consider this
to be a “war of choice”. As an example, the war was seen by Bush as an
opportunity to secure Iraqi oil. This was one of quite a few motives behind
Bush’s decision. As if this weren’t enough, Bush demonstrated his government’s
corruption again in 2005, during the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. Many
criticized the government’s delayed lacking response. For instance, President
Bush was on vacation when disaster struck, and didn’t return to Washington until two
days later. Along with other complaints about his response, Bush didn’t handle
this emergency well overall. Bush’s incapability to take action successfully to
these two incidents was a result, with no doubt, of too much power leading to
corruption.
These three
great political leaders are perfect examples of power leading to corruption.
These people may have started out with good intentions, but soon were conquered
by greed. Hitler strived to create the “perfect” society, Hussein wanted to
control the entire country of Iraq ,
and Bush was searching for opportunities to make America the most influential nation
of all. No matter what, all of these politicians were seeking no more than
personal gain. Like the Lion King’s uncle Scar, these politicians’ downfalls
were their own greed, fear of losing power, and jealousy. To conclude, it is
evident that power always corrupts those who hold it; it is inevitable.
Sources:
"Adolf Hitler." Adolph Hitler. American-Israeli
Cooperative Enterprise
"George H. W. Bush." The White House.
Www.whitehouse.gov, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgehwbush>.
The Editors of, Encyclopedia Britannica.
"Saddam Hussein (president of Iraq
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