Tyranny
A tyrant (Greek τύραννος, tyrannos) was originally one who used the power of the populace in an unconventional way to seize and control governmental power in a polis. Tyrants were a group of individuals who took over many Greek poleis during the uprising of the middle classes in the sixth and seventh centuries BC, ousting the aristocratic governments. Plato and Aristotle define a tyrant as, "one who rules without law, looks to his own advantage rather than that of his subjects, and uses extreme and cruel tactics—against his own people as well as others".
Read more about Tyranny.
Famous quotes containing the word tyranny:
“The worst form of tyranny the world has ever known ... the tyranny of the weak over the strong. It is the only tyranny that lasts.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“Then hail! thou noble conquerer!
That, when tyranny oppressed,
Hewed for our fathers from the wild
A land wherein to rest.”
—Mary Elizabeth Hewitt (b. 1818)