Literary notes about Autocracy (AI summary)
The term "autocracy" has been employed in literature to illustrate a range of power dynamics, not only in its political connotation but also in its metaphorical applications across different contexts. In political discourse, authors have contrasted autocracy with democracy to highlight the centralization of power versus the expression of the people's will [1, 2]. Some works emphasize how autocratic regimes manage dissent and maintain control, as illustrated by the Russian government’s measures against public gatherings [3] or by suggesting that even within an autocracy smaller, distinct publics may emerge [4]. The term is also expanded metaphorically: it appears in discussions of domestic authority, as seen in a schoolroom setting [5], and in descriptions of market domination, such as a singular figure controlling coffee markets [6]. Further reflections include the notion of a "benevolent autocracy" [7] and philosophical musings on power and truth [8], while some authors critique its association with militarism and financial exploitation [9, 10].
- The difference between an autocracy and a democracy is not that in one the will of the people finds expression and in the other it does not.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - This is quite as true in a democracy as it is in an autocracy.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - The Russian Government, recognizing the menace of the crowd-mind to its autocracy, formerly prohibited public gatherings.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - In an autocracy there are perhaps many little publics.
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - Often their governess—if she is a woman of the world—gives up her autocracy of the schoolroom and becomes social guardian instead.
— from Etiquette by Emily Post - For a time, he ruled the coffee markets of the world with a kind of autocracy such as the trade had never seen before and probably will not see again.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - Benevolent Autocracy.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - I cannot see why we should ask for an autocracy and omnipotence of truth: it is sufficient for me to know that it is a great power.
— from The Dawn of Day by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - In his imprecations against "the Crucified," the advocate of autocracy and militarism rivals the most infuriated of revolutionary Socialists.
— from Secret societies and subversive movements by Nesta Helen Webster - The feudal system, as Marx and Engels perceived, was the principal obstacle to exploitation by a financial autocracy.
— from Secret societies and subversive movements by Nesta Helen Webster
