We have become so accustomed to assuming that democracy is a desirable thing that we scarcely think about it anymore. It is like clean air or unlimited credit, obviously good for everyone. Meanwhile, all around the world, democracy is being pushed back by various forms of authoritarianism. This is a very old human story, and a puzzling one. Ancient Rome managed to keep a more or less democratic republic for over five hundred years, only to lose it to a long line of authoritarian emperors, most of whom were extremely nasty. Who needed them ? The authoritarian leader – whether he calls himself king or emperor or dear leader or president or father of the people – is usually just one man (and usually indeed a man ). But he may dominate millions of people. How does this work? One answer is that the people rather like it. Ex-dictators always have their fans. There are still admirers of General Franco in Spain, of Mussolini in Italy, and Stalin in Russia. Even Hitler is not without his