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Insanity takes many forms, but all have an underlying loss of contact with reality. For the insane, it is impossible to distinguish what is real from what is imaginary. True and false become indistinguishable. Contradictions which are apparent to the sane are totally invisible to the insane.
Ordinarily the insane are quietly looked after in a place where their fantasies are harmless. But sometimes an insane person goes about without restraint. In these circumstances, harm may come to those who are in proximity. Though the behaviour may be consistent, as in delusions of grandeur, the lack of an essential contact with what is real prevents any true interpretation and acknowledgement of present contingencies.
The world sometimes falls prey to a such a person who holds a position of authority. In this case the insanity is a threat to the entire local society, and also, in extreme cases, to the world at large.
Megalomania is a serious condition in which the insane person genuinely feels that they have made some marvelous contribution which is unrecognized. They complain of a lack of recognition and gratitude for this contribution. It is impossible for the person to separate what is real from what is fantasy. Most audiences are sympathetic, in recognition of the sincerity of the complaint. Where there has been a history of accomplishment during periods of sanity and lucidity, no one attempts to convince the megalomaniac that the world he lives in does not exist.
National leaders having this neurosis have been responsible for massive disruptions in human history. Today the German people still suffer from their inability to put Hitler in a strait jacket. Millions died and suffered long years in remote concentration camps as a result of Stalin's mental aberrations. The problem is a global one, and it exists today.
What is the fatal flaw which leads to final failure? It is the attempt to do too much. Every modern society has departments with specialized functions. The executive department presides over the general operation of the country and sees that the laws are obeyed. The legislative branch is responsive to the ever changing needs of society, and attempts to resolve those in a wise and practical way through laws drafted and approved in a democratic manner, so far as that is possible. The judiciary oversees disputes which arise in the execution of the laws, and extinguishes those laws which intrude on the established Constitution.
Business is conducted in the security of this system, and contracts may be made with some assurance that the rights of the parties will be protected in event of a breach. Personal property rights are protected, and the government may not encroach without special adjudication and adequate compensation. Government officials are not allowed to interfere or participate officially in the affairs of commerce, and they may not derive personal profit from their position of trust.
The government is allowed to collect funds for its expenses, and all funds so collected are openly accounted for, both in the amount collected and dispersed. Contracts for government services and projects are made according to a fair system and at competitive prices. Nepotism is illegal. Favoritism is illegal. All government business must be fair and equitable, not subject to political patronage.
But where the head of government is insane, these divisions are not recognized. The dreams of the leader, realistic or not, are funded without debate by the revenue of the state. There is no consultation or expert opinion. Everything is both illegal and secret, covered by loyalty oaths and secrecy acts. The entire power and assets of the government thus are diverted to support the megalomania. The police and military are suborned in the name of "national security".
It is the absolute determination to see the dreams made reality that is the fatal flaw. Nothing is allowed to obstruct the vision. Although many of the roads and structures are completed, often at highly inflated cost, there is no cohesion to the overall plan. Planning is by dream, not by demand. The overstretching of executive ambition and power in the unrealistic attempt to guide every detail of overall national activity, both economic and political, inevitably leads to failure.
Normal standards of ethics and morality disappear in an effort to create the imaginary world. Laws are broken without consideration of the consequences. Loyalty to the dream is more important than adherence to social justice. The insanity spreads by sycophancy, and many of the best minds succomb. The insane person surrounds himself with people who pretend his is sane, and defend his irrational conduct. They themselves often suffer in the same manner. The combined effect of such a set of national leaders can totally destroy a vibrant civilization, given enough time. The underlying fabric of the society is sacrificed to the sick man's dream.
The nation itself becomes sick, and as such cannot function successfully among the more sane nations of the world. When this isolation becomes apparent, a form of paranoia sets in, and attempts are made to garner support by spreading the insanity to neighboring states, many of whom fail to recognise the symptoms.
It all begins and ends with one sick man. He is surrounded by people who know he is ill. Yet they do nothing. They fear him; because one trait is paramount. He is insanely cruel to any who oppose the dream. He plots insane schemes to rally support. Innocent people are killed. His associates lend themselves to his cruelties at the peril of their spiritual life, but the power and material comforts sterilise their conscience. They pretend not to know. For their personal greed they contribute to it. The insanity becomes institutionalised.
The irony is that when all the dream castles are realized, there is no society left to enjoy them. The megalomaniac has destroyed all that is worth living for, all that is sacred and worthwhile. For this he demands gratitude. When it is not forthcoming, he pouts. He blames, he criticises, he accuses, he calls names, and he is unrepentant.
It is not entirely his fault. He is sick. Because he is a sick man in a position of authority he is a danger to all mankind. His insanity corrupts the present and derails the future. He must be quietly, gently removed to a place of recovery or restraint. Like a dangerous virus, once the danger is recognised, swift and expeditious measures are necessary. The insane person's paranoia makes him alert, and a resolute deftness is required.