Arcanum Imperii: The Powers of Augustus

This chapter reassesses the very careful formulation of Augustus' imperial powers and his repeated formal refusals of power. What matters is political tradition and the acceptable representation of untraditional power. Modern debate has moved from ‘what exactly was the content of imperial power?’ to ‘what was imperial power meant to look like?’. Stalin is used to illuminate praise of the established emperor. Imperial power does not require debate on forms of government, or on whether the good man must accept political office for the good of the community, though both debates could be invoked to make a point.