At the risk of sounding delusional, I'll say that it is delusional to suggest that humanity is currently at its intellectual peak. The idea that, as a whole, the populace NOW enjoys greater awareness and intelligence is just plain wrong. It very well could be that the Collective We has forgotten more than it remembers. IMHO, the clandestine/occult orders -- go where you wish with that one -- hold and guard much of the forgotten knowledge. And I'm not a member. You observe:  "Hunger and sickness are the bread and butter of siege warfare. It only takes a sick psychopath authoritarian to turn those tools against ones 'own' populace as a tool for subjugation. I put own in quotes because these leaders seem to consider themself different and above the common huddled masses."  [Hunger and sickness are the bread and butter of siege warfare. I see what you did there. Nice.] The more Power becomes centralized, e.g. the oligarchs, the greater the risk becomes for corruption and authoritarianism. Thus, power does not corrupt; the centralization of power is the root of corruption. Absolute Power is absolutely corrupt because it is absolutely unnatural. To the extent that all The People have share of and stake in the Power, corruption is limited.  corrupt (adjective) 1 a : morally degenerate and perverted : depraved; b : characterized by improper conduct (such as bribery or the selling of favors) corrupt judges 2 : putrid, tainted 3 : adulterated or debased by change from an original or correct condition  EDIT: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corrupt