Power Corrupts (Macbeth)

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Power Corrupts In this essay I will give examples to prove the fact that power corrupts. Whether it is the chance to gain more power or just to secure what you already had, power changes people. Of course, there are also examples where people use power wisely and fairly, but most of the time people use it unjustly. Some aspects of corruptness are too much ambition, deceit, loss of morals and greed. As examples I will use the Medici family in renaissance Italy, how the US government treated the Indians during the 19th century, Macbeth and factory owners during the industrial revolution. Ambition The Medici family was the most influential family in renaissance Florence. While keeping up their façade they indirectly ruled Florence for nearly 200 years. However, the Medici didn’t start out as one of the most powerful families in Italy. But over the years they managed to climb the social layers using bribery, corruption, threats and violence. Everyone who stood in their way ended up ridiculed of dead. They relied on a wide network of acquaintances that wanted to stay on the good side of the Medici. One of the most notable members of the Medici was Lorenzo ‘the Magnificent’. He was not a very good banker, but a cunning politician. By forging alliances with the Catholic Church, he managed to have his son named cardinal at the age of 14. He considered the papacy something that could be bought and his son eventually became Pope Leo X. The family eventually included three popes, two queens and owned the most successful bank in Europe. They can be considered as the mafia of the renaissance. No matter how much wealth, influence and power they gained, they were always looking for ways to get more. They would not let anything come in their way. However, many families were jealous of their standing, and many were assassinated. The last of the Medici in Florence was banned
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