What They Count On

"I want this country to know that we stand on the edge of oblivion! I want every man, woman, and child to understand how close we are to chaos! I want everyone to remember why they need us!"
--Sutler (V for Vendetta)

Tyrannical rule, defined as impairing the liberties of those governed, could never persist if the masses rose up against it. Despots are almost by definition a small minority. They could not remain in charge if the majority 'threw them off.'

So how do they do it? How do tyrants manage to keep their thrones when they are so vastly outnumbered? There are few plausible answers.

One is that they trade with the masses. Tyrants agree to provide something that the people want, such as security, in exchange for their acquiescence. When they do this, of course, the masses are dealing with the devil. 

Another is entertainment and distraction. The Roman solution of 'bread and circuses' is meant to divert attention of common men from the real issue at hand: confiscation of freedom. Drumming up war, btw, serves a similar purpose.

Finally, tyrants presume that most people are just plain ignorant. The masses, they believe, don't engage their brains and think for themselves. Instead, they are willing to outsource their brains to so-called experts. Consequently, tyrants employ all kinds of experts to tell the public what it should think.

This is what tyrants count on.