Why Rome Fell

6 Two Models of Government

A leitmotif of this book is power structure and, in particular, the relationship between monarchy and aristocracy. The significance of this feature is not often recognized, even by historians. I will go further and analyze the relationship between the power structure and the ethos of a society, a topic that is almost completely ignored.

Monarchy exerts a certain fascination on the human mind. It is hard to imagine what it was like to be a regular person in some past age. Evidence tends to be scarce and unreliable, and the subject matter may well turn out to be mind-numbing. The swashbuckling and flamboyant or scandalous and dissolute antics of rulers, on the other hand, and especially of those who “…bestride the narrow world like a Colossus” (Shakespeare’s description of Julius Caesar as dictator for life) are the stuff not only of popular entertainment but also of the majority of historical writing, ancient and modern alike.

Monarchical titles are many, varied, and extremely misleading. For example, the title of king, emperor, president, or prime minister may or may not indicate the possession of genuine monarchical power because a minority may wield power under a titular head entrusted with purely ceremonial functions. Moreover, it is virtually impossible for one person to wield total, or absolute, power. Even the most apparently autocratic or absolute monarch is likely to have to share power to some extent with others. The test must be this: Who ...