Sick of the Grand Conspiracy?

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Asta Kask

Attributing things to conspiracies is normal for humans. Forging long-term conspiracies is not. The best example I can think of off-hand is the First Triumvirate.

Unions of equals make bad conspiracies; they are metastable at best. A better model is Sejanus, who steadily rose in power for at least 12 years, then was defacto emperor for 5 more. Compare the reign of J. Edgar Hoover, who was up to bad stuff for at least 48 years, and Boss Tweed was but one of a succession of bosses of the Tamany Hall political machine that ran for 180 years.