Faces of Despotism

Product Description What exactly is despotism? Is it the same as tyranny? And in what ways is either of these related to dictatorship? Despots are, by definition, leaders, but are leaders 'born', or is leadership a function of particular types of situation? In other words, is despotism conditioned by its social context, and are the circumstances in which it is generated different from those which serve to maintain it? These are some of the issues which are taken up in this text. Not that there are any final answers. But it is hoped that readers will find the ensuing discussion stimulating and informative. This study is both historical and comparative, and ranges over a wide spectrum of societies. The analysis aims to show that although different manifestations of despotism have much in common, it is actually no one kind of a thing. It is essentially about the concentration of power in the hands of single rulers, but this study also demonstrates that the actual exercise of power is often conditioned by ideological factors. About the Author Eric Carlton is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Durham.