When studying Ancient Greece in all of its splendour and nuance, one will often find themselves comparing and contrasting the world we currently live in, to the Greek world of antiquity. There are many parallels to be found and many life-lessons to take into consideration even though we are several thousands of years removed from this time period. One of the more interesting facets of ancient Greece is its ever-evolving political system. From the palace kingdoms of the Bronze Age to the birth of democracy, studying ancient Greek politics gives us plenty to chew on and plenty to contemplate when thinking about the current political landscape. The rise of the “tyrant” in the ancient world is one such example and when you look closely – the strategy of some of these “tyrants” and their rise to power are seemingly echoed by certain politicians in the modern world. Namely the successful 2016 Presidential campaign run by Donald Trump in the United States. There are many elements in common between the backgrounds and political strategies of the ancient Greek tyrants and Donald Trumps heritage as well as the strategy he employed during his 2016 campaign. It is fascinating to see that even though their paths to power are separated by thousands of years, they were able to use the same strategies and strike the same chords with the public in order to attain political power. To be clear, this blog is not addressing what Trump did while he was in office. Its focus is squarely on who he is, and how he ran his successful 2016 Presidential campaign.
The similarities begin with the individual themselves, where they originate and what they are known for. Donald Trump came from an affluent family who could be seen as one of the “rich elite families” in the United States.(Barstow, 2018) In other words, he was born into the aristocracy of his day. Prior to running for office, Donald Trump was a very public figure who had made a very good living in the world of real estate.(Barstow, 2018) Because of this, he was viewed by a large portion of the public as a “successful and rich businessman”. He was also the central figure on a very successful reality television show and had gained great notoriety through its popularity.(Fisher, 2016) Similarly we have the Greek tyrant Cypselus who was born into the “Bacchiads” which was a prominent aristocratic clan in Corinth.(Pomeroy, 87) Cypselus, like Trump, was also known within the city prior to his entry into the political realm as he had held the office of “Polemarch”, which was their title for Military Commander.(Pomeroy, 87) It is clear to see that both Trump and Cypselus arose from the aristocracy of their time and both had achieved a measure of fame prior to their political careers.
The similarities continue with the targeting of the aristocracy/oligarchy by the tyrants/Trump and the consistent message they put out to the working-class population. In Donald Trumps 2016 Presidential campaign, he shamelessly pandered to the “working class” spouting rhetoric about how Washington had forgotten them and how they were the backbone of America that had been left behind.(McCammon, 2016) He was specifically targeting people who’s livelihoods had been seemingly taken away when Government introduced environmental regulations and shut down heavily polluting coal mines, factories and processing plants which put them out of work. He claimed to be “a man of the people” and pointed a finger at the politicians in Washington and said they were a corrupt oligarchy who were only interested in lining their own pockets.(McCammon, 2016) A similar strategy is used by many of the Greek tyrants and this strategy is clearly outlined by Aristotle in his study of politics:
“A tyrant is set up from among the people and the multitude to oppose the notables, in order that the people may suffer no injustice from them. And this is manifest from the facts of history. For almost the greatest number of tyrants have risen, it may be said, from being demagogues, having won the people's confidence by slandering the notables.(Aristotle, Politics)
There are many examples of this strategy being employed by Greek tyrants in the same fashion that Trump employed it thousands of years later. For example we have Theagenes of Megara who both gained the support of the common people by slandering the aristocracy and claiming that if he were put in power they would end the suffering of the common people and bring the oligarchy to an end. (Aristotle, Politics) We also have Pheidon of Argos who made similar claims against the aristocracy in his city and claimed he would end the suffering of the working class to illicit their support.(Plutarch, Morals) These claims seem very similar to Donald Trumps 2016 campaign slogan “Drain the Swamp!” where he is inferring that all of Washington is corrupt and that he is the man to clean up politics and bring the common man back to the forefront. All in all, a very similar strategy.
With all this is consideration it is amazing to think that a strategy that worked almost 3000 years ago in Ancient Greece could still be this effective in modern times. The lesson to be learned could very well be twofold: First, we should be wary of politicians who have no plans or set of policies they want to enact but solely campaign on the promise to attack the established system. Second, perhaps we should take a longer look at the working-class population we have and put measures in place to make sure they do not become completely disillusioned. If they feel they have a place in our society and are valued – then perhaps in the future they will not fall victim to a “tyrant” and their rhetoric of empty promises.
Bibliography
Aristotle, Benjamin Jowett, and H. W. Carless Davis. 1920. Aristotle's Politics. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press.
David Barstow, Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig. 2018. New York Times. October 2. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/trump-family-wealth.html.
Marc Fisher, Michael Kranish. 2016. Fortune. September 8. https://fortune.com/2016/09/08/donald-trump-the-apprentice-burnett/.
McCammon, Sarah. 2016. NPR. November 5. https://www.npr.org/2016/11/05/500782887/donald-trumps-road-to-election-day.
S. Pomeroy, et al. 2014. A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society and Culture. (4th edition, Oxford University Press).
Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals. Translated from the Greek by several hands. Corrected and revised by. William W. Goodwin, PH. D. Boston. Little, Brown, and Company. Cambridge. Press Of John Wilson and son. 1874. 4.