> In political systems and power struggles between kings and generals coming to power, it's usually mentioned something like they try to consolidate power and then they take over. But what does consolidation of power look like? Like what do they do to consolidate the power? How was it done in the older times? Maybe during Alexander the Great's times or in the Roman times? How was it done in the medieval times? How is it done today? What does it mean?
consolidation of power = transforming a lucky “i’m in charge rn” into an enduring, self-reinforcing architecture of control. the toolkit never really changes, only the aesthetics:
core levers (timeless)
remove or neutralise rivals (blood, bribes, blackmail, or banal job transfers).
monopolise organised violence (army, police, intel).
capture the narrative factory (priesthood → printing press → tv → algorithmic feeds).
manufacture legitimacy (divine right, republican virtue, ballot box, anti-corruption crusade—whatever sells).
bind key elites with loot + fear (patronage webs, land grants, corporate concessions, plush ambassadorships, criminal charges held in escrow).
hard-wire it all: new laws, new offices, new constitutions, ideally with exit ramps blocked.
plan succession, or at least pretend: dynastic marriages, “designated heirs”, or term-limit resets.
idk a nicer way to put it—power abhors a vacuum.
alexander (336-323 bc)
executed potential claimants + rebellious nobles within weeks of philip’s assassination. (HISTORY)
blitz-tour of balkans + sack of thebes to broadcast “don’t even think about it.” (Wikipedia)
kept macedonian veterans close, left local satraps in place but shadow-controlled their garrisons; classic carrot-stick.
rome’s corporate re-org (augustus, 27 bc)
staged a public “i’m giving power back to the senate” stunt, then accepted special commands + tribunician powers that let him veto everyone forever. (Wikipedia, Academus Education)
split provinces: he holds the legions-heavy ones, senate gets the sleepy ones. army payroll → loyalty → stability.
mega-propaganda (virgil, ara pacis) to spin monarchy as RESTORATION, not coup. that’s straight political aikido.
henry vii (1485-1509)
back-dated his reign to the day before bosworth so opposing nobles = traitors by definition. (Seneca Learning)
crowning, parliament, and marriage to yorkist heiress sequenced to (a) claim god’s blessing, (b) show he didn’t need parliament, (c) fuse rival bloodlines. (Seneca Learning)
used bonds & recognisances (legalised shakedowns) + star chamber to keep over-mighty barons on a tight leash.
piled cash reserves → a king with coin doesn’t beg, he dictates.
xi jinping
anti-corruption purges = loyalty test; politburo stuffed with protégés; no visible successor. (The Australian, The Guardian)
2018 constitution tweak wiped term limits; triple-hats (party, state, military) make him un-fire-able.
digital panopticon + ideology apps = velvet shackles for 1.4 billion.
vladimir putin
2020 constitutional rewrite “zeroed” his previous terms, letting him rule to 2036. (Wikipedia, gppreview.com)
media stranglehold, oligarchs on conditional liberty, and security services as personal praetorians.
recep tayyip erdoğan
2017 referendum morphed parliamentary turkey into an executive presidency; post-coup purges cleared the bureaucracy. (The Guardian, Democratic Erosion Consortium)
ongoing arrests of opposition mayors & mps keep the field non-competitive. (El País)
data is the new cavalry: whoever controls the info stack (social platforms, telco metadata, fintech flows) can identify, segment, and pre-empt dissent almost in real time. think panopticon-as-a-service.
“rule-by-law”, not rule of law: leaders weaponise courts + constitutions rather than ignoring them; it looks cleaner on cnn.
transnational repression: dissidents aren’t safe after exile—see spyware, interpol red notices, or just good old poison.
afaict the vibe stays constant: consolidate ≈ convert raw coercion into institution-shaped coercion that can outlive a hungover monday. empire, kingdom, republic, startup nation-state—same game, fancier ui.