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Do you agree with this quote by John Dalberg-Acton: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." What are some examples from history that you can use to prove or disprove this?

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Ideas
Pros and cons
 
Votes
I believe that total power is bad because one person making decisions can lead to dictatorship which is a bad form of government for the people! Having the power split up between many people means many opinions on a topic which will make more logical decisions. A great man in history that was gre... more
by Evie Joseph
 
I disagree. There have been many great people who have been good. For example, George Washington ... more
by Curtis Kinnaman
2
 
I disagree with curtis. George washington has killed many native americans for is own gain
1
 
16

Gillian Arleth, thomas g, david cardenas and 13 more

I don't think all great men are bad men. For example, Martin Luther king junior had great intentions but resulted in getting shot.
by Rachel Hart
 
True story bro c:
by Jackson
 
I agree with rachel because MLK.Jr was a great man and he spoke his mind
3
9

cameron farrar, Terry Green, Rhiannon Curtis and 6 more

I believe that total power is bad because with power, bad people can do bad things. An example of someone who used power in a bad way was Christopher Columbus. I used him because he had all the supplies to go to The New World, but abused his privileges by putting innocent people to work and their... more
by Sarah Montross
4

Emma Miner, amie bueso, Cinthya Plazas and 1 more

I dont agree with power going corrupt because there is always a good use for power.
by Charlie Gaenzle
 
And always a bad.
by Jackson Rudolph c:
1
4

clay, Evie Joseph, Charlie Gaenzle and 1 more

When Vladmir Pootin was president he had power in the next election he rigged the votes and won for more power.
by Clay Alderman
 
?
by Jackson
 
makes no sense
1
4

Bob Joeses, Evie your home dawg, Harrison Pletzke and 1 more

I think that with great power comes with great responsibility. So, not all people with power are bad, it just depends on how responsible you are. For an example Abraham Lincoln took great responsibility of his power and helped free slaves, but Hitler didn't take responsibility of his power and di... more
by Mandy Feldman
3
Cinthya Plazas
claire pedersen
Sarah Montross
I don't agree with this statement because power can currupt people but it doesn't always. For example one of my dads friends has a lot of money and he is one of the nicest person I know. I also do not agree with the second statement because I know a bunch of people who are great men and have a lo... more
by Chris Millar
3
Barney Stinson
Ben G.
Connor Kocis
I agree with this statement because people with a lot of power cause a lot of damage. For example, in Mexico (where I grew up) I saw people who were homeless and unemployed. The government did not take care of these people and cared more about money than people. Every time I walked into school I ... more
by Ismael
 
The majority of the people has turned bad but once in a while someone can handle that power and t... more
by Jose S
3
Connor Kocis
ismael
Louis
Some presidents of America in the past, when given power have helped out in many ways instead of going corrupt.
by Ben Gerhardt
 
SOME
by blank
1
3
Jake Billy
Jonathan
Quinn
I believe with this quote. People may do great things in the world and be horrible people. For example, Hitler was a man with great responsibility but was a horrible person.
by Emma Miner
 
My phone had typos, instead of believe I meant agree and instead of responsibility I meant power.
by Emma Miner
1
2
Emma Fritsch
Gillian Arleth
I highly agree with this quote, as Uncle Ben once said in Spider Man, With great power comes great responsibility. But unfortunately, many people abuse the power they have for example Adolf Hitler abused his power and attempted genocide to the jewish people.
by Julian Lambert
 
SPIDER MAN <3
2
Hope A
Nia Kurgat
I do not agree with this quote. Not all men that made major impacts and had lots of power were bad. There were many people who had power and made a difference without letting the power get to them. for example, Martin Luther King Jr.
by Hannah Seligson
2
Quinn Foster
Rhiannon Curtis
I dont agree with some of it. Some great men are good men. But i agree that power tends to corrupt.
by Quinn Jooss
2
Jackson Rudolph c:
Jonathan
I agree with the quote, often in the world power is corruption. Also people who may seem good, fair, leaders they are often correptuted or a bad leader
 
this is my argument
by ben mclean
1
1
Jimmy Russel
I believe that total power is bad. There shouldn't be society where just one person decides on things. There is no one in the world who has ideas that are all correct. At some point in a person's life, they will be wrong. Whether it comes in their life early on, or later, or if it happens everyda... more
by Alex Ferris
 
i agree because people could take advantage of people
by Brian Perez ^-^ :3
1
Taco
I don't think that all great men are bad men for example George Washington lead the army in the american revolution and have we won he could have turned america into a dictatorship but instead he turned it into a democracy. He was a great man and he wasn't bad he was great. He had power when he b... more
by Rhiannon Curtis
 
There is supposed to be a period after bad men on the first line and The example is supposed to b... more
by Rhiannon Curtis
1
Hannah Seligson
I believe in the quote, because dictators will sometimes be power crazed and want to rule the world (Nepolian). Also, great men are almost always bad men, because the incidents with some priests. people always look at the priests with a lot of respect and they seem that they would never do anythi... more
 
This is my comment
by Chase Cash
1
Chase Cash
I agree with this quote. Power usually goes to your head and you use power to do bad things. For example, Christopher Columbus had a lot of power and he killed a lot of innocent people.
by Julia Evers
1
Pete Hand
I agree, people with power are not always as responsible as they are without it. For instance, The Catholic church prior the protestant reformation was in great power, but charged unnessiscary taxes to people and misusing money from those little paper things that say you can go to heaven.
by Will Cosby
1
Jake Billy
I agree with this quote because power does tend to corrupt. If there is one leader in power, then many people will get upset because they don't agree with the way that the leader is dictating their country. An example to prove this is the Syrian war about the leader taking over Syria.
by Regan Powell
1
Margaret Reed
Hitler had absolute power over Germany but he was a terrible man. He was a terrible man because he tried to kill all of the Jewish people in the world.
by Joey Kalbas
1
Jake Billy
I disagree with the quote because many men in history have done great things to help the world. If depends on their initial intends on what they plan to do. You have to handle the power you have very well so that it doesn't get to your head and make you do corrupt things. People with power can do... more
by Cinthya Plazas
1
Curtis Kinnaman
I agree that the power can make the people go insane. If any one person has power to control a very large or small empire or country they will not always make good decisions. For example Nero (an ancient Roman emperor) burned down houses of rich citizens and forced people to build him a house of ... more
by Louis Klem
1
Connor Kocis
I think too much power is bad because Adolf Hitler was a man with great power but killed a lot of Jewish people.
by Tyrhee Philpot
1
Connor Kocis
i would not agree with this statement. people who donate to charity often have a lot of money, meaning they have a lot of power. it's true that power can lead to abuse, but that lies in the characteristics of that person, and would still be a bad person, just with less ability to abuse things.
by ethan reid
1
ethan reid
i do not think all powerful men are bad men because some men with a lot of power sometimes do good with that power because they use there power to do good for there community and/or country
by Ajani.M
1
Mady
I believe that with great power comes with great responsibility. Usually too much power is not good and one example is Adolf Hitler. He became leader of Germany with many one sided and almost comforting ideas to the people of Germany. Later on though he became almost/a dictator and it all went do... more
by Eleanor Murray
1
ethan reid
I disagree with the quote because yes power can change a man, but not always for the bad. For instance a person can gain power and then realize that the government is corrupted, he can then work to change the government for the good. For instance the quote "with great power comes great responsibi... more
by Connor Kocis
1
Louis
I agree with this quote up to the point where he says "Good men are almost always bad men." because there have been multiple men who have been great and good such as religious leaders like the pope
1
Ben G.
To this quote I would have to agree a lot of power is to much power.Because not everyone is who they say they are Martin Luther King Jr. was a great african american man but everyone in their point of view jus descrimanated him and didn't believe in him till today.He wanted to stand up for what ... more
by Sierra Tyson
1
Sierra
I believe that many great men were good men. (ex. Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln). Nonetheless, I also believe in the saying "Too much of a good thing is a bad thing", and that too much power can be dangerous in any hands. Someone with too much power, even if it was in the right hands... more
by Nia Kurgat
1
Hiiiii
I don't think all great men are bad. For example, Abraham Lincoln had great intentions but it turned out for him to get shot
by Javon Wells
1
Javon
i agree too much power is bad
by sevaughn white
1
sevaughn
I don't think that all great men are bad men because that would mean only one men would be "in charge" and that would lead to a dictatorship. That wouldn't be good because then only one men would be in charge. Like Malcolm X was a man that stood up for the rights of African American Muslims and b... more
by Ella (Atwater) the Great
1
sevaughn
The idea that all people that achieve power will automatically become corrupt is pretentious and often wrong. A since of morality often clings to someone through good and bad.
by Kegan Edwards
1
Hi Keagan c:
Christopher Columbus was a great man in that he "discovered" America, but he was a bad person because he tortured the natives and made their lives miserable.
by Harrison Pletzke
1
Harrison Pletzke
An idea that could prove this is Columbus is considered a great man even after killing a lot of people.
by Chris Burns
1
Barney Stinson
I agree with this because some people may think this leader is great while others will suffer. Like with the American government, people think that it's a great government. Others think that it's not the best government. Less and less people believe that it is a good government because of the shu... more
by Shyanne H.
1
Patrick Noonan
I believe that this statement is true. Adolf Hitler gained all the power of Germany and he destroyed that country. When you have nobody telling you what to do that power goes to your head. This makes a lot of power be bad and can cause things to be corrupt.
by Nick DeCapite
 
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO... more
1
Nick D
there have been very powerful people like presidents and they have been good people also
by Rahul Jayaram
 
but not all presidents were good
by Julia McAfee
1
Jonathan Yarnell
i think that not all men are not always bad, but it also needs power to be either good or bad
 
this is mine by david cardenas
0
I agree and disagree, power can make people become evil or do bad things. But power also does great things. It truly depends on who the person is.
by seal mcswagger :) <3
 
this was by Daphneeee
0
I disagree and agree at the same time. Some people take power in as a toy and play with it. These people tend to ignore the lives that they could be affecting. Other people use power as a privelage and treat it with respect. These people tend to go far in our society.
 
This minnnnnne. My comment. By Christopher Broadwell.
by Christopher Broadwell
0
yes it does because if you have alot of power you might get greedy for more or use it in a bad way.
by quinten paine
 
I agree because for an example Adolf Hitler had gotten greedy for more power and soon he had all ... more
by Faith Graves
0
Yes, I agree with this quote because piwer tends to go to peoples heads. An example is Hitler, he ran a dictatorship and he was te dictator, he had great power an did bad things with it.
by Katie Carpenter
0
I disagree because one person making all the decisions can lead to a dictatorship which is a bad form of government. If one person chooses the rules there wont be other ideas from other people.
by Liyah Chaplin
0
I partly agree with the quote. in some cases (for example Hitler) power can cause some people to think that they are better than others, thus dictating them. Although many situations in history ended up like that, many didnt. Fo example George Washington had probally the most power, being the lea... more
by Sarah K
0
I disagree with the quote because some great people are also good people . example is Aung San Su Kyu in Burma.
by Frae Day Moo
0
0
i disagree with this idea because there have been many great men that where not bad, for example, abraham lincoln, who was a major part in ending slavery.
by kelsey ferguson
0
I think one person having to much power is a bad thing, like what were learning in social studies. The 3 branches of government so they balance each other out so no one has to much power. I also do not agree with the quote saying that that great men are almost always bad people. Gandhi did great ... more
by Gillian Arleth
0
I agree with this statement. He didn't say that all great men with power are bad. He said almost as in not completly. Like, there's people like Hilter. Then there's people like Martin Luther King Jr
by Madisyn Atwater
0
I think that having total power is bad because the president may have an idea to do something that people don't want to do, but are forced.
by Luke Daum
0
I think that this is a neutral topic because if one person has power than they tend to do what the majority vote is and not what is best for a certain situation. But this can also be a good thing to because it allows men and women to blossom and soar for what they think is right and they are actu... more
by Destiny Cox
0
I do not agree with this quote, because most people are good, they just can make bad decisions. For example, George Washington was a very good person who made good choices. A bad person would be Hitler, and he made terrible choices, and he was a terrible person. However, I agree that too much pow... more
by Cole Dickson
0
when you have complete control over anything it can be a bad thing. by this i mean that people can become bossy or over ruling and take advantage of their power. men in particular have been given high power roles in the past. for an example all of our presidents have been men and adolf hiter cont... more
by Erin Johnson
0
I agree with this quote because some people over use there power such as Hitler who used his amount of power to hurt many people. But i also disagree because some people can use a large or absolute amount of power for good reasons, like Martin Luther King did during the Civil Rights Movement.
by Emma Fritsch
0
I don't think power is always a bad thing its just about how people use there power. Some people are more responsible then others when they have power but history mainly looks at the bad leaders and not as much as about people who where responsible with their power.
by Jake Billy
0
I believe that not all great men are bad men I think some people stand up for what they believe in and I think that is an amazing thing to do for yourself such as Martin Luther King. I also think that having too much power can lead to a disaster. Such as a Dictatorship, a dictatorship is not a go... more
by Quinn Foster
0
I disagree with the quote. It says in the quote, "Great men are almost always bad men". However, there have been many great men that weren't bad. For example, after the Revolutionary War, George Washington was given total power of the 13 colonies. Did he become king or turn the colonies into a di... more
by Curtis Kinnaman
0
I only partly agree with the statment. I feel that the quote is accurate up until it is mentioned that "Great men are almost always bad men." I think that this couldnt be farther than wrong. If you take great men like Martin Luther King Jr. He was a strong leader in the civil rights movement ... more
by Arrington
0
I somewhat agree. As humans we need to be put in our place (some of us more than others) so that we don't become out of control and can still function normally in society. The more power you have, the harder these opportunities are to come by. When no one is there to help you sometimes things can... more
by Mady Luce
0
As people get more power they tend to abuse it because they have either gotten to the point where they are not restricted or they feel as though they could get something out of it. Usually people abuse trust because it's easy to break. All people are good people, sometimes we just make bad choice... more
by Kaden Westphal
0
I disagree power always corrupts peoples judgement, i disagree because when Adolf Hitler felt that Germany was on of the strongest countries in Europe he tried to take over Europe. He also thought that he should be able to kill a group of people he didn't like such as the Jews.
by Jonathan Yarnell
0
I believe that a lot of power to a single person is bad because it is only from one point of view. Personally, I believe when power is divided, any function or system will work much better. For example, Adolf Hitler had power and abused it by attempting to rule the world. In conclusion, I think ... more
by Joe Zhang
0
Power doesn't have to be used for bad, but it almost always is. Julius Cesar was a great military leader in ancient Greece, but he was very greedy. At the time everyone agreed that he was a great General, but that changed. He ended up taking over Greece, and was a terrible dictator. In any si... more
by Hope Anderson
0
i do not agree with this statement. many people with lots of power, such as
0
I believe that people with too much power are bad because typically when people have to much power and the power tends to go to their head. When power goes to peoples heads it tends to lead to things like dictatorship. Dictatorship makes people unhappy because it makes them feel powerless.
by Claire Pedersen
0
I do not think all great men are bad men because power can change a man and make them do things they wouldn't do before they had the power
by David Veltri
0
I agree with this quote because some people with great power don't do the right things with it for example hitler had great power but didn't do right the right thing with it
by P.G
0
I don't think lots of power is always bad. JK Rowling made a lot of money with Harry Potter. She donated a lot of it to help others. Martin Luther King Jr. used his power to help others. Power can be abused too, though.
by Haley V.
0
I agree , having to much power is bad. Because people get big headed & go crazy !
by Deja Tucker
0
I don't think all men are bad but some people who haves a lot of power can more people or help more people
by Dominic Low
0
yes because too much power is bad. because people that have too much power they can use the power in the wrong
by daivontay
0
I agree and also disagree because some people have great power that can affect the world but they use that power to help other people. But some people have great power but they use it for badly such as Hitler. He used his power for killing people
by Hannah Shin (Ha Neul)
0
Too much power is bad because if someone has all alot of power then there going to use it the wrong way
by sevaughn white
0
i agree with thus quote becuase i belive that everyone has a little bit of bad in them. Having power defentaly can cause greed,but it doesnt have too. for example the roman emporor Nero started out as a pretty good leader, but... the power went to hear and he started to go crazy. he first killed... more
by Eliza Merritt
0
I agree with this quote because everyone's thinking is all different. That means a people who you think he or she is good can be thought to be bad to others. For example, president Truman attacked Japan with Atomic Bomb to save Americans but he killed a lot of Japanese
by Jiwon Lee
0
I agree with this quote to some extent, I do believe with power there can be corruption. When people have power they tend to want to keep their power and want to keep their position, they can become single minded and filled with greed. For example, with a dictatorship like in North Korea, all of ... more
by Catherine Moraitis
0
I agree with this quote because a lot of people go crazy with power you would be surprised.
by Alana Cassidy
0
I disagree because Martin Luther king jr was a man with lots of power and used in a good way
by Burke
0
I agree with this quote. I think that George Washington gave us our freedom and used his power for good.
by David Anderle
0
i
0
bad if you use it the wrong way
by sevaughn white
0
I agree with this quote, because Christopher Colmbus was a man of great power and he discover American but he was a dictator towards the natives. He had power and he was cruel and abussive to people.
by Rachel McCown
0
I agree and disagree there has been many people that have taken power and turned it into something fantastic. But there are other people that take power and use it for bad. Like for example Adolfo Hitler, he took his power and killed helpless people.
by Luisa Marin
0
I agree with John Dalberg-Acton's quote. Some historical moments consist of people with power completely taking advantage of what/who they have control over. Christopher Columbus is an example, when he came to the Americas almost all the natives he ran into, he either kidnapped them or went to wa... more
by Jenaya Isley
0
Power can go corrupt, and almost always do. Many great men used their power for their own purpose, but others use them wisely.
by Lucas Savaris
0
Some is true and some is not because not all person are the same. Some may use their power for bad things and some may use them to help people.
by Dawt Dawt
0
Some of it is true and some is not because
0
Some presidentshave been powerful but also googd me
0
I agree because some time when someone is given an imortant role tht gives them a high level of power the tend to want more power and take up more responsibilities.
by Niya Fearringto
0
Yes I agree because if you look at Cuba and Fidel Castro, where did they end up? They are only doing okay if others come to their aid. Fidel took power and ran with it. A little too far
by Patrick Noonan
0
Power can corrupt people, in example Adolf Hitler and Bloody Mary. c:
by Jackson Rudolph
0
I agree that total power is bad because the power should be split up between many people so that there are many different opinions. With different opinions there will
0
I agree with this quote up to the point where he says "Good men are almost always bad men." because there have been multiple men who have been great and good such as religious leaders like the pope
by Benjamin Gwaltney
 
I am unsure what your trying to say, are you saying the pope is an example of a good person becau... more
by Arrington Luck
0
I agree
 
This is too short! and not specific! and wheres your name .3.
by Jackson Rudolph
0
I agree with this quote, because often power does corrupt. When one individual has all the power, they often misuse, or go crazy with the responsibility of the power. For example many monarchs in England have gone crazy with the power they have.
by Margaret Reed
 
I disagree because you left out a part. Many people have delt with power in excellent power ... more
by You will never know
1
0
men are most of the time successful.
by Charlie
 
that does not always mean there a good man
by you may never know
 
females can be successful a lot of the time.
by Shyanne
1
 
Adding to what Shyanne said, not just men are successful. Think about Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart,... more
by Haley
1
0

Comments

David

The greatest men, men that have had the greatest impact on their environment and who are remembered for 1000s of years are all bad men. Alexander killed thousands during his conquests, ceaser basically committed genocide on the Celts. Chris the great a conqueror, a killer. Hitler is an obvious example, a less obvious would be FDR who's cause was no doubt righteous but millions of men still died by his dictions. In fact practically every leader of nations is responsible for death. So great men aren't all bad men but the greatest always are.

Sun, Jun 21, 2020

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