The Urge to Lead

It has been uncanny reading Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities' whilst revolution has been sweeping the Middle East. Dickens was writing in the 19th century about the 17th Century and yet there are certainly similarities between what he writes about and what is happening now. In both Pre-revolutionary France and the states of the Middle East, rulers have imposed strict controls on their subjects, limited their autonomy and enjoyed wealth that their people did not. The desire to rule seems very strong. Even military leaders, overthrowing a dictator, often seem to take their place and go onto to take power themselves. Dickens comments on this in Tale of Two Cities with the Revolutionary Leaders taking the place of the Monarchy. Similarly, in Libya, Gaddafi went from overthrowing Monarchy to himself taking power and the honorary title of "Brotherly Leader and Guide of the first September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya". Now he is the longest "serving" ruler. Even though he thinks Queen Elizabeth II has been in 'power' longer! What is it about being in control that makes people want to cling on so much?