32. To Avoid the Risks of Permanent Tyranny, the Romans Imposed Time Limits on the Office of Dictator
The Romans established a process for appointing a dictator. It began with the Senate authorizing one of the consuls to nominate a dictator. Either of Rome’s two consuls could make the nomination, but if they disagreed, they drew lots to decide which of them would choose the nominee. Next, the nomination was sent to Rome’s Curiate Assembly – later the Centuriate Assembly – for approval.
If the Assembly approved the nomination, it would then enact a special law to grant the nominee the extraordinary powers of a dictator. To guard against the possibility of the dictator turning into a permanent tyrant, the law granting him power limited his term to the length of six months, or until the emergency that required appointing a dictator was over.