Power: Abuse and Napoleon Bonaparte

Throughout history humans realized that a way of evolving was fighting for what was best for them, without stopping to think on others. Humans always want more, we are never satisfied. We are capable of stepping on anything that blocks our way to getting what we want. “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.” (Edmund Burke) We are so used to seeing powerful people damaging others, that we do not notice, and when we do notice it, we are selfish and think we cannot do anything about it because we will be abused too. By not doing anything to change these situations, we are becoming part of it. Leaders constantly abuse of power and break their own rules according to their interests. Having power or a higher position makes us feel superior and able to mistreat other people.
Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a great example of how leaders abuse their power and bend their rules to gain something. Napoleon, one of the pigs, is the leader of the farm. When he rises as the leader, he proposed the Seven Commandments; these commandments established the rights of the animals and it said that every animal was equal. As the novel goes on, these commandments start being modified; pigs start being superior to the rest of the animals. The other animals in the farm work until they are completely exhausted, while pigs are in the house relaxing. The animals are unable to realize that the Seven Commandments are giving the pigs all the advantages. At the end of the novel the pigs have so much power that they changed the last commandment into: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” and the animals could not do anything about it but submit to them.
Sometimes power grows so much that it becomes very difficult for someone to handle it without wanting some benefits. Napoleon Bonaparte did a lot of good things; he granted constitutions, introduced law codes, abolished feudalism, created efficient governments and fostered education, science, literature and arts. Napoleon also abused of his position; he declared himself emperor without letting anyone express how they felt about it. He usually made decisions by himself because he was a dictator. He became so powerful because people would not do anything to stop him. Power is given to a person by those who let him feel powerful.
Napoleon Bonaparte and Napoleon the pig started as rulers who were trying to make their people have a better life. They began using their power for the benefit of the people but as time went by, they started changing their rules and their goals according to what they wanted for themselves. Both are great examples of how a powerful person is able to rise as a dictator when people submit under their rules. After realizing they could do anything they wanted and no one would say anything about them, they started changing their own rules to make them fit to what they planned to do. They stopped fighting for a better life for everyone and just cared for themselves.
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”(Abraham Lincoln) It is so difficult to manage great power without being corrupted or do whatever you want in order to get more power and control over people. Your interest stops being the improvement of life for others and it changes into the improvement of life for you. Giving a leader too much power might end up making them forget the real meaning of being a leader.