Trumpled (Alternative Leading)

[mateinone]

Unfortunately, the more I learned about it the more a disillusionment crept in. Unfortunately I think most (I won't say all) great events of history tend to have a cynical motive or narrow national self-interests driving them - very few occur in the pursuit of altruism or the concern for the welfare of people. Very sad really.

See this is where I disagree, I think that most movements ended up burning bright and fading out and a lot are left with some pretty poor legacies, but I think most major movements (such as the French or Russian revolutions, just because we are talking about them) came about because people needed them.

The leaders such as Lenin dedicated their entire life to achieving this outcome, they can be jailed, sent to Siberia, killed, exiled to live in relative poverty or anything, but it doesn't change their belief, it hardens it. Now the problem comes about once power comes, they believe in absolutely no bending at all, it must be 100% their way.. It is the same will that allowed them to have the belief through the years that thwarts them from seeing compromise and then this inevitably ends badly.

Take someone like Robespierre, he was nicknamed the incorruptible, he believed so strongly that the views he had were the views that the country needed. He believed that this was vindicated by finally seeing the end of the reign they had fought against, that they believe people must be sacrificed who threaten the existence of the environment they have fought their lives for and I think it has nothing to do with them going into these situations obsessed with gaining power for themselves for their own gain.

I do believe there is a fair element of narcissism though, as they need to believe completely in their view of the world as being the right, as being the view that others who don't believe just have not yet seen...

So yes, I think they make huge mistakes, but I don't believe in most cases the goal is power (though in some cases of course it is).