Watch Your Wealth
Every dictator's reign teeters on a knife's edge. One misstep, and it can all go horribly wrong. The next thing you know, you're biting the dust just a few years into the job, your corpse defiled and dragged through the streets like Mussolini's. So, what's the secret to avoiding such a fate? Simple: keep a close eye on your wealth.
Parading a luxurious lifestyle in front of a population suffering economic hardships is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. It's a sure way to inflame tensions. Remember the infamous words, "Let them eat cake," supposedly uttered by Marie Antoinette? Her oblivious response to her subjects' suffering cost King Louis XVI his monarchy. The people didn't forget that opulence when they revolted.
Saddam's vanity projects only fueled rebel forces, and Gaddafi's penchant for shell suits and Gucci sunglasses certainly wasn't forgotten during the Libyan Uprising. But don't think it's just personal extravagance that can spark a revolt.
Nikolai Ceaușescu, the Communist leader of Romania, met a grisly end in the 1990s when his mismanagement of a botched oil refinery program caused financial ruin. The people were already struggling under harsh austerity measures, and it was the final straw. Soon, the very people he ruled turned on him. Ceaușescu fled dramatically across the rooftops of the Romanian Parliament to a helicopter, only to surrender when the Army threatened to blow the rotorcraft out of the sky. Following a hasty trial, he and his wife were executed by firing squad on Christmas Day 1989.
The announcement echoed across Romania: The deposed leader, President Ceaușescu, and his wife have been executed. A Military Tribunal found them guilty of genocide and undermining the national economy.
So, what's the lesson here? Keep your spending small and secret. If you want to avoid paying the ultimate price, especially during the holiday season, don't let your vanity get the better of you.