"When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing more to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader"
About this Quote
Power, Plato suggests, is rarely content with peace; it needs a problem to justify itself. The line is a neat piece of political cynicism from a philosopher who watched Athens ricochet between democracy, oligarchy, and demagoguery, then condemned his teacher Socrates in a burst of civic panic. Against that backdrop, “tyrant” isn’t a comic-book villain. It’s a recognizable political type: the man who converts emergency into routine.
The craft of the sentence is in its timing. First the tyrant “disposes” of foreign enemies “by conquest or treaty” - even peace is framed as a kind of domination, a file closed. Then comes the real diagnosis: once external threats vanish, the tyrant manufactures new conflict because his legitimacy depends on being necessary. War becomes less a means of defense than a technology of governance, a way to keep citizens anxious, unified, and deferential. “Require a leader” is the key phrase: the people aren’t merely persuaded; they’re trained into dependence.
Plato’s subtext cuts both ways. It’s an indictment of the ruler who manipulates fear, but also a warning about a public that welcomes the trade: autonomy for protection, deliberation for command. In the Republic, tyranny grows out of democratic appetite and instability; this quote captures the moment that appetite gets managed. The leader who cannot survive ordinary politics will always prefer the exceptional state, because crisis makes questions feel like disloyalty and obedience feel like virtue.
The craft of the sentence is in its timing. First the tyrant “disposes” of foreign enemies “by conquest or treaty” - even peace is framed as a kind of domination, a file closed. Then comes the real diagnosis: once external threats vanish, the tyrant manufactures new conflict because his legitimacy depends on being necessary. War becomes less a means of defense than a technology of governance, a way to keep citizens anxious, unified, and deferential. “Require a leader” is the key phrase: the people aren’t merely persuaded; they’re trained into dependence.
Plato’s subtext cuts both ways. It’s an indictment of the ruler who manipulates fear, but also a warning about a public that welcomes the trade: autonomy for protection, deliberation for command. In the Republic, tyranny grows out of democratic appetite and instability; this quote captures the moment that appetite gets managed. The leader who cannot survive ordinary politics will always prefer the exceptional state, because crisis makes questions feel like disloyalty and obedience feel like virtue.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
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