Greed is everywhere. You want more of something and sometimes you will stop at nothing to get it. It’s more or less an ugly trait that people have always had. It is an unstoppable force of character that leads to terrible consequences. This leads to the quote by Lord Acton: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What did Acton truly mean by this and what others idea does this possess today?
In absolute monarchies, which is all power is given to or taken by the monarch, this absolute power has corrupting influences. Examples include Roman emperors, since they declared themselves as Gods and Napoleon Bonaparte when he declared himself an emperor (Power). The idea of the quote is that it “conveys the opinion that, as a person’s power increases, their moral sense diminishes” (Power).
With the idea of greed, its sensible to know what greed actually is. “Greed is the tendency to selfish craving, grasping and hoarding. It is defined as: 
a selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions” (Greed). Instead of being a view of self-destruction, it’s more about the fear of life. A need for something that is lacking.
A significant example of the power of greed was the policy of Indian removal in the southeast. They “had done everything the government asked of them in terms of assimilating to western culture. Yet despite this…the removal of the Cherokee continued apace” (What are). No justification can come to mind when trying to justify this action, except greed and the power it can hold.
Another example is the Spanish conquest of the Incas. They were so greedy for gold that they destroyed the entire Inca Empire and took it for themselves, rather than maybe asking or leaving them alone. Their greed was unstoppable at that point. Human history centers around greed one way or another.
The quote from Acton in basic terms means that the more power someone has or think they have, the more corrupt they are. This isn’t necessarily true, but looking back on history of the world thus far, it is clear that this is true in the most basic forms. It also means that those in power don’t usually have people’s best interests in mind and only think of themselves or of the people that have the same values as them. Again, this isn’t always true since there is evidence of kind-hearted leaders who have the best intentions at heart for the good of the people.
In conclusion, absolute power corrupts absolutely isn’t always true, but in thinking about what Acton really meant, it makes clear sense. Greed is unstoppable and has been for years regarding human history for the last thousands of years. There are so many examples that can prove this and yet, there are many examples of good leaders that only have the best intentions for their people. It is only true when the leader doesn’t care about everyone else that they have some responsibility over.
“Greed.” Personality & Spirituality, personalityspirituality.net/articles/the-michael-teachings/chief-features/greed/.
Martin, Gary. “’Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely’ – the Meaning and Origin of This Phrase.” Phrasefinder, www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely.html.
“What Are Some Examples of Greed in the History of Mankind?Examples of Greed like in Wars or Anything Else.” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-some-examples-greed-history-mankind-406638.
