33. The Roman Dictator Was a Temporary King
The Roman Republic’s system of checks and balances sometimes checked the exercise of governmental power too much at moments when the exercise of that power was urgently needed. The annually elected consuls were equal in power, and little could be done if they disagreed about something. In the republic’s early days, fears grew of an impending war against a coalition of powerful neighbors. Simultaneously, there were widespread suspicions that one or both consuls wanted to restore the monarchy.
So the Romans got together and decided to deal with the emergency by appointing an official whose powers were superior to those of the consuls. Designated a dictator – a term meaning “one who gives orders” – the newly-created official wielded absolute authority, including the power of life and death over others. His decisions were final, with no appeal to a higher authority. However, that presented the Romans with the dilemma that such absolute power smacked too much of the absolutism of the recently overthrown and detested kings. So they imposed a significant check on the power of the dictator: term limits.