He inspired extraordinary passion, both devotion and hatred. Supporters and opponents would rally in equal fervor, often at great risk to his life. The law bent against him, and he bent it in return to protect himself and silence his critics. Above all, he valued loyalty; not honesty, competence, or principle, but personal devotion, reinforced by an expectation of silence regarding his indiscretions. Loyalty was rewarded lavishly; perceived betrayal, however slight, was met with swift and often vindictive retaliation.
He built wealth through spectacle, persuasion, and an uncanny ability to borrow, often leaving creditors with worthless claims. He experimented with unorthodox financial arrangements and convinced his followers to invest in his own variations on these schemes. His family members were frequently brought in as partners, trusted advisors, and financial recipients.
Womanizing and adultery were constant shadows around him (including allegations involving teenage girls). He surrounded himself with other men who were involved in similar behavior. His multiple marriages eventually became a defining characteristic.
He played both sides of the political divide. Frustrated with both parties, he ran for president on a nationalistic platform centered on protecting his own kind.
He was a great man of history, not for his virtue, but because he bent reality to match his vision of it. A vision he began to claim was ordained by God. Educated elites dismissed him as a fraud and a demagogue. Yet long after his rise, millions continued to build their identities around devotion to the man, the movement, and the promise that only he could restore what others had lost.
