The Long-Run

This chapter brings together the core arguments developed throughout this book to outline a theory of how lies, deception, and violence have historically operated as pillars of power. It does so by, on the one hand, comparing the case studies and, on the other, demonstrating that these practices are not confined to the individual level but function as structural mechanisms embedded within institutions, laws, and narratives. This chapter further develops the concept of structural deception to explain how power – including despotic power – can endure across generations, enabling domination to persist over centuries. It critiques theories of power that claim violence and deception are incompatible with legitimacy and unsustainable in the long run, arguing that while this may hold normatively, it does not hold historically. Indeed, violence and deception have often formed the very foundations of political legitimacy, supporting power over extended periods. To further support this thesis, this chapter examines the state–capital nexus, showing how a longstanding alliance between political and economic elites has used violence and deception to sustain accumulation and suppress dissent since the emergence of both capitalism and the modern state. Ultimately, this chapter argues that lies and violence are not anomalies but the historical norm: central to the exercise of power, even within democratic regimes. This final reflection reframes our understanding of domination in both historical and contemporary contexts, calling for a reckoning with the systemic use of deception and lies, coupled with violence, as important features of power and central to its exercise across time and regime type.