Robert Heinlein was of the opinion that an evil organization such as a Communist state could be brought down by assassinating the men at the top, because evil organizations are always personal empires, built to maximize the power and luxury of the Maximum Leader. He had a point, but he might have failed to appreciate the speed with which second-echelon contenders for power could swarm up to the top offices to replace the fallen tyrant-in-chief -- and the inability of a thoroughly cowed, thoroughly disarmed subject population to resist the process.
Which, come to think of it, is why it took American military intervention to depose Saddam Hussein, isn't it?
Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
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Robert Heinlein was of the opinion that an evil organization such as a Communist state could be brought down by assassinating the men at the top, because evil organizations are always personal empires, built to maximize the power and luxury of the Maximum Leader. Heinlein may have been a genius, but he missed something here. Maximus stays in power by distributing perks to subordinates. After a few years there's a semi-legitimate bureauracy in place that owes its livlihood to the leader. so it isn't just the single ruler. Nearly all the competent people in the country will be corrupted.