Peter Shr - Week 9 - The Evolution of Leadership
Some of the most powerful people today are billionaires. I want to delve into how we got there.
Hunter-gatherers were small nomadic tribes usually with less than a hundred people. They had no regular leader, but one often stepped up to lead the hunt. Then, civilization began as a result of the adoption of agriculture. People settled and began living in larger groups, forming into kingdoms. In turn, increasingly stronger leaders were set to organize greater populations. The evolution of leaders afterwards sheds light into the development of what humans value.
Early civilizations like Egypt had rulers that were held in the same regard as gods. With gods representing different things like the sun and harvest, the status of these rulers as their descendants reflect early civilization’s emphasis on religion as well as the basic resources to survive. In Europe, kingship overtook the feudal lords around the 14th century. Kings held more and more power until the 17th century, when absolute monarchy spread across Europe. Monarchs eagerly waged war against one another, reflecting the people’s growing sense of nationalism. Meanwhile, the pope, the head of the church, held immense secular and religious power, holding influence over royal families and the ability to excommunicate. With the corruption of the church becoming more apparent, the Protestant Reformation broke out from the European people’s need for religious piety. Many of the popes at the time were uninterested in filling the spiritual leadership, and they were replaced by a new church, leading to a decline in their power. Then, as Europe began to secularize, the pope’s significance further waned.
Afterwards, the people began to resent the arbitrary rule of divine right. They wanted their own representation in democracy, personal freedoms, and equality. While the voices of philosophes were not the most powerful at the moment, their words resonated with the people's ideals and came to later have the greatest impact on the Western sphere. People desired, leading to the eventual implementation of governments of elected officials, and the US formed as a republic. Of course, these examples do not represent the entire world. I have just included examples to indicate the overall transition towards democracy. In this society of equality and freedom, money dominates and becomes the most powerful incentive for politicians. Presidential candidates rely on funding from the rich for their campaigns to gather votes, making them act like CEOs serving their shareholders. In this way, the power in our democracy stems from the desires of billionaires. And the general public is dependent on the services that the billionaires own, strengthening the influence of the voices of the few.
It seems to me that these examples all show how power comes from what people value, and it is the needs of the people of that time that determines the form of leadership and places the leader in that position.
Delving into the complexity of discussing leadership in history: https://cvdl.ben.edu/blog/the-evolution-of-leadership-a-look-at-where-leadership-is-heading-2/
Hi Peter! Your blog provides a thoughtful historical perspective on how powerful people have evolved, emphasizing the connection between societal norms and the ways of leadership that were emerging at the time. The overall storyline is well structured, progressing from the earlier stages of hunter-gatherers to the current impact of billionaires in democracies. The specific examples add depth to your argument and effectively showcase the ever-changing values of societies and how they shaped leadership dynamics. I found the connection between the shift to democracy and the recent influence of billionaires in politics to be thought-provoking and provided a current perspective. Furthermore, the concluding statement ties the historical examples and current observations together. It prompts the readers to reflect on the current state of democracy. Overall, your blog plot showcased an in-depth understanding of historical and modern power dynamics, highlighting the recurring theme of leadership reflected in societal values. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Peter! Thank you for sharing this thoughtful and intriguing blog. I especially appreciated your introduction, as it provided an engaging hook and left me with a question to consider while I read through your post. As you mentioned, the evolution of the structures of power and the role of leaders in human societies is very interesting. I enjoyed how you structured the blog as a sort of historical story; this made the message easy to understand and allowed me to gain a deeper and more complex understanding of the topic.
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to discuss the point you brought up about modern politicians and presidents acting as "CEOs serving their shareholders." In the democratic society of the United States, the role of the government is to serve the people and protect the safety and constitutional rights of people. However, due to massive political donations becoming more widespread, some of that focus is getting lost. It is all too often that a politician puts the interest of a large business donor over the interests of the people that elected them to office.
Overall, your blog created a strong historical link between the sources of power in our human society. As evidenced by history, our current system of power may be subject to change in the future. While we can not predict exactly what the change will look like, it will be up to the citizens of the world to influence the political structure in accordance with their societal values. Thanks for sharing!
Hello Peter! I found it a great revision of history that you were able to concise in the size of a blog. I find it amazing how we were once "nomads" yet now controlled by a "few" at the top of the economic scale such as the "billionaires." I can see this prevalent in many places. For example, in many companies, the CEO, the billionaire in this case, sets the standards and has a large degree of control over the company. Unfortunately, this means that the CEO makes the decision and in some circumstances, the CEO may not complete a task for the benefit of the company but actually for selfish reasons. We see this prominent in our culture where politicians are playing a role in countries as you have mentioned. I find it very informative on the part where you emphasized the influence of the pope or religion on the basis of the world at the time and how the pope, just like the billionaire of today, can also be corrupt and selfish. In all, I find it spectacular on your ability to take a large time frame of human history and relate it to the origins of leadership in the world we live in today. Great work!
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