What happened when these 6 dictators took over - Stephanie Honchell Smith According to legend, the ancient Roman statesman Cincinnatus was plowing his fields when news arrived that the Aequi, Rome’s powerful enemy to the east, had invaded. 据传说，古罗马政治家辛辛那图斯正在犁田时，消息传来，罗马在东方的强大敌人埃基人已经入侵。 Rome was in need of swift, decisive action, and the senate had chosen him to serve as dictator, with absolute power over the military and government. 罗马需要迅速、果断的行动，元老院选举他为独裁者，对军队和政府拥有绝对的权力。 Cincinnatus set down his plow, took control, and in a matter of weeks, saved Rome. 辛辛那图斯放下犁，控制了一切，在短短几周内，拯救了罗马。 This story reinforces the myth of the “benevolent dictator”—the idea of a leader who holds absolute power, yet only uses it for the common good, to address problems efficiently, and create a just regime. 这个故事强化了“仁慈的独裁者”的神话——拥有绝对权力的领导者，只将其用于共同利益，有效地解决问题，并建立一个公正的政权。 But can a truly benevolent dictator exist in today’s world? Nations established modern democracies to safeguard against the potentially destructive whims of a single individual. 但是，当今世界能存在一个真正仁慈的独裁者吗？各国建立了现代民主国家来维护反对单个人的潜在破坏性异想天开。 When functioning properly, democracies enable a society to be freer, and provide stability by protecting against corruption and the abuse of power. 当运作正常时，民主政体使社会更加自由，并通过防止腐败和滥用权力来提供稳定。 This is accomplished by holding regular, free, and fair elections, imposing term limits, and establishing strong legislative branches and court systems. 这是通过举行定期、自由和公平的选举来实现的，施加期限限制，并建立强有力的立法部门和法院系统。 Maintaining a free press also helps keep politicians accountable for their actions and encourages citizens to engage in their governments and communities. 维护新闻自由也有助于让政治家对自己的行为负责，并鼓励公民参与政府和社区活动。 In a dictatorship, absolute or near-absolute power is held by a single individual who is free to impose their vision on society. 在独裁统治下，绝对或接近绝对的权力由一个人持有，他们可以自由地将自己的愿景强加于社会。 Under certain conditions, the idea of a dictator can sound appealing, like when a democracy isn't functioning as it should due to corruption, economic instability, or extreme political polarization. 在某些情况下，独裁者的想法听起来很有吸引力，就像当一个民主国家由于腐败、经济不稳定或极端的政治两极分化而无法正常运作时。 At these moments, people may be willing to give up some democratic rights and freedoms for hopes of a better future. 此时此刻，人们可能愿意放弃一些民主权利和自由，为了对更美好未来的希望。 Authoritarian-leaning leaders present themselves as the ones who can fix everything. They distill complex problems into simple talking points and promise quick solutions. 倾向于威权主义的领导人出现，作为可以解决一切问题的人。他们将复杂的问题提炼成简单的谈话要点，并承诺快速解决方案。 Some of the most overt authoritarian leaders have taken this strategy, including military dictators who seized control through coups like Augusto Pinochet, Mobuto Sese Seko, and Muammar Gaddafi. 一些最公开的专制领导人采取了这种策略，包括通过政变夺取控制权的军事独裁者像奥古斯托·皮诺切特、莫布托·塞塞·塞科和穆阿迈尔·卡扎菲。 Gaddafi, for example, initially asserted himsel
