Balanced Quote by Rudolph Rummel
“The more power a government has the more it can act arbitrarily according to the whims and desires of the elite, and the more it will make war on others and murder its foreign and domestic subjects. The more constrained the power of governments, the more power is diffused, checked, and balanced, the less it will aggress on others and commit democide.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Power and Conflict, 1997
Concentration of governmental power leads to arbitrary actions and aggression, while diffusion and checks reduce war and democide.
In simple terms: Unchecked power breeds war and murder; checks curb it.
Key Takeaway
Limit government power to prevent violence.
Themes
politics
power
violence
governance
human rights
Mood
cautious
critical
analytical
Type
political
ethical
historical
When to use this quote
- policy drafting
- civil society activism
- international diplomacy
- educational curricula
- media analysis
Key Concepts
authoritarianism
checks and balances
diffusion of power
democide
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies ensure effective checks?
- What mechanisms best prevent elite domination?
A Different Perspective
Power can still be abused even with checks if institutions are weak.
![“[During the 20th century] ... 170 million men, women, and children have been shot, beaten, tortured, knifed, burned, starved, frozen, crushed, or worked to death; buried alive, drowned, hung, bombed, or killed in any other of the myriad ways governments have inflicted death on unarmed, helpless…” quote by Rudolph Rummel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b6c/rudolph-rummel-42992_20th-century_during-the-20th-century-170-million-men_1655922.jpg)
