Familiar rise and fall

He called himself a “nationalist” and embellished this patriotic image by unabashedly surrounding himself with the nation’s flags, even kissing them at his political rallies and parades. He spellbound a personality cult numbering in the millions as he stirred up their hatred and fears. He told them just what they wanted to hear. They followed his every word and believed him.

He rose to power with the promise that he would make the country great again. He told the people that the other party was the cause of the nation’s ills. And he argued that an old, unproven conspiracy theory was fact, that a race of fellow citizens was even more complicit in the decline of the nation. He was a consummate liar, a master of deceit, and a skilled con artist. He believed that a lie told often enough becomes the truth.

He told the people that a free press was the enemy of the state. He packed the nation’s courts of law with judges and prosecutors who agreed with his agenda and removed those who didn’t.

He believed that he had been “chosen,” not by God (for he was never seen in church) but by fate, to lead the nation to greatness. He believed that he was smarter than his generals and advisers. His hubris would lead to his downfall.

When he assumed power the nation was a democratic republic. Within three short years, with support from the aristocracy, wealthy industrialists, and the armed forces, he turned it into a dictatorship. When his reign finally came to an end, the people dug themselves out of the rubble of their homes and cities only to find the armies of their former enemies occupying the country he swore he would make great again.

Do you know his name?

FLEMING STOCKTON Little Rock