Small error: in the Roman Republic, the dictatorship took power away from the consuls (with short term limits - normally 6 months), who were the normal leadersh

Small error: in the Roman Republic, the dictatorship took power away from the consuls (with short term limits - normally 6 months), who were the normal leadership. And one of the things that republican dictators prided themselves on, was the speed at which they resolved the urgent issues and handed power back to the consuls, often in weeks if not days. Of course, this all went to pot at the end of the Republic when the rival warlords from Sulla through to Octavian saw the dictatorship as a means of taking control of Rome, so had extended periods of dictatorship "the problems are so vast I need to be dictator for 10 years".