Solving the problem with the problem

Religion is to solve ignorance with ignorance.
Statism is to solve violence with violence.

Indirect Religious Dictatorships

The creation of the religion of Islam is one of the most genius ideologies for the cause of dictatorship. The Islamic emperor is god, and the kings are the prophets. Not only did these self proclaimed prophets make their families wealthier, they also made the families of their friends, whether they are religious or not, considerably wealthier and more powerful as well. It is a dictatorship that gives breed to smaller dictatorships, as kings will always have disputes amongst each other and there really is no emperor to solve anything. Culture in the middle east has been formed under this dictatorial rule.

Catholicism-styled dictatorship, on the other hand, gave the pope the power of the emperor. This made the land even more centralized, making the land both harder to control and more profitable. Those who were able to harvest the fruits of their labour received their rewards.