Difference between revisions of "Tyrant"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(Modern usage.) |
(τύραννος) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | A '''tyrant''' is a term the [[Greeks]] used to describe a person who seized and held power in violation of the normal laws and traditions of the community. Tyrants appeared in many Greek [[city states]] in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. often taking advantage of the disaffection of the middle class against the old elite. | + | A '''tyrant''' (Greek: ''τύραννος'' - ''tyrannos'') is a term the [[Greeks]] used to describe a person who seized and held power in violation of the normal laws and traditions of the community. Tyrants appeared in many Greek [[city states]] in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. often taking advantage of the disaffection of the middle class against the old elite. |
Today, the word 'tyrant' is used to refer to an unjust and autocratic ruler, who enriches himself or satisfies his lust for [[power]] at the expense of his people. Examples include [[Nicolae Ceausescu]] in [[Romania]] and [[Robert Mugabe]] of [[Zimbabwe]] in his later years. | Today, the word 'tyrant' is used to refer to an unjust and autocratic ruler, who enriches himself or satisfies his lust for [[power]] at the expense of his people. Examples include [[Nicolae Ceausescu]] in [[Romania]] and [[Robert Mugabe]] of [[Zimbabwe]] in his later years. | ||
Revision as of 20:12, April 23, 2009
A tyrant (Greek: τύραννος - tyrannos) is a term the Greeks used to describe a person who seized and held power in violation of the normal laws and traditions of the community. Tyrants appeared in many Greek city states in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C. often taking advantage of the disaffection of the middle class against the old elite.
Today, the word 'tyrant' is used to refer to an unjust and autocratic ruler, who enriches himself or satisfies his lust for power at the expense of his people. Examples include Nicolae Ceausescu in Romania and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe in his later years.
Sources
The Earth and Its Peoples A Global History, Bulliet et al, 2005.