History’s most shocking atrocities are defined less by their authoritarian leaders and more by the 'giant blob of enablers' who facilitate them. The current political climate demonstrates this, where professionals and politicians abdicate their expertise and principles to avoid conflict, becoming complicit in the process and allowing destructive ideologies to gain power.

The romantic notion of revolution ignores its bloody reality. The French Revolution's guillotine, initially for aristocrats, ultimately killed lawyers, merchants, and even its architect, Robespierre. Such chaos creates a power vacuum, allowing figures like Napoleon to seize control.

Prominent Western left-wing intellectuals were initially supportive of Ayatollah Khomeini. They were drawn to his anti-imperialist rhetoric about "the disinherited of the earth," mistakenly projecting their own ideals onto him and predicting he would usher in a "humane" form of governance.

The goal of modern populist movements has shifted from winning elections to establishing permanent dominance. This is achieved by creating a mandate to prosecute and imprison political opponents, dismantling the norm of peaceful power transitions in favor of winner-take-all retribution.

Proponents of radical political systems suffer from "main character syndrome," assuming they'll be planners or lords. History shows intellectuals and revolutionaries are often the first to be imprisoned or killed by the new regime they helped create.

For a dictator, concepts like free speech and rule of law are an existential threat that can ignite street revolutions. This is why Russia invaded Ukraine: to crush a neighboring democratic movement before its contagious ideas could spread.

History shows a recurring cycle in revolutions where the activists and idealists who help destabilize a country—so-called 'useful idiots'—are often the first to be killed by the new autocratic regime they usher in. This pattern was seen in Russia, Iran, and with the French Revolution.

A recurring political pattern involves well-intentioned progressive policies being implemented without regard for practical consequences (e.g., border management). This creates a political vacuum and public frustration that the far-right exploits, leading to a severe, often cruel, overcorrection that dismantles both the flawed policy and underlying positive intentions.

A shared history, including painful memories, creates a powerful attachment to one's country. To take over, an ideology like communism must first erase or rewrite that history, demoralizing the populace and severing their attachment so society can be rebuilt in a new image.