Yup. Thus instructed Micheavelli in The Prince. The only way to control people is to rule them with an iron fist. They must hate and fear.

There's also a biolotical element. Apparently, in mammals, 19 out of 20 of the species have the brain chemistry of a follower while out of 20 has the brain chemistry of a leader.

The leader has the psychological ability to stand separately from the crowed - the rest don't.