Corrupt Rulers as a Significant Enduring Issue: Critical Essay

An enduring issue is an issue that exists over time. It is one that many societies have attempted to address with varying degrees of success. An enduring issue that has existed throughout the world is corrupt rulers. It first appears to impact the world during the Classical era and still impacts the world to this day. Corrupt rulers have affected a lot of people negatively and have led to many problems, including the oppression of people and religion, exhibiting total control, and the elimination of all political opponents. To begin with, corrupt rulers have led to the oppression of people and religion. For example, in the 1930s and 1940s, a group called the Nazis who were led by Adolf Hitler took control of Germany. To terrorize any political opponents, the Nazis created protective squads or the SS. The SS used cruel methods to eliminate all opposition. Moreover, Augustus Caesar oppressed his people and murdered any political rivals that opposed him, autocrats controlled religious authorities and have absolute power. This shows that corrupt rulers oppressed their people and even made some people fear for their lives. The evil rulers had total control over the people and didn’t allow any defiance. In addition, corrupt rulers can exhibit total control. For instance, in China, Emperor Shi Huangdi ordered the execution of scholars who opposed him and burned important historical documents because he wanted to unify all thoughts and political opinions, and he did it out of fear that people would undermine his legitimacy. Moreover, one of the most known corrupt rulers in today’s society is Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un has full control over North Korea as of 2011, and if anyone opposes him, he sends them to prison camps. Also, Adolf Hitler, who leads the Nazis in Germany, has full control over his people by making protective squads that identify, arrest, and eliminate political opponents. This shows that corrupt rulers exhibit total control over their people and eliminate any opposition, as well as that corrupt rulers still exist to this day. Eliminating all political opponents to unify all thoughts and political opinions and out of fear that people would undermine the corrupt rulers' legitimacy is another problem with corrupt rulers. For instance, in China, Emperor Shi Huangdi ordered the execution of scholars who opposed him and burned relevant historical documents because he wanted to unify all thoughts and political opinions, and he didn’t want any opposition so that he could have full control. Furthermore, Xi Jinping became the ruler of China in 2013. Because of him, people are still beaten and starved for opposing government power and expressing religious freedom, and he has complete control over all media and the use of the Internet. This shows how corrupt rulers continue to persist even in today’s society and is continuing to harm people. To conclude, corrupt rulers are a significant enduring issue because it continues to persist to this day and negatively affect people. For example, Qin Shi Huangdi eliminated scholars and burned important books to unify all thoughts and political opinions and out of fear that people would undermine his legitimacy, and today, Kim Jong-un opposes any political opponents and sends them to prison camps to be executed. Moreover, the leader of the Nazis, Adolf Hitler, created protective squads to eliminate and arrest political opponents, and today, Xi Jinping beats and starves opposing government powers and those expressing religious freedom.