I think others pretty much nailed it. Long was a true believer who really seemed driven in politics by a desire to change how things operated, not personal power or gain. I've never seen any real hints he used populism, for example, for personal graft.
As for his authoritarian tendencies, keep in mind that Louisiana before his rise was very far from what we'd call a Democratic state, with the vast majority of whites not even having the right to vote. His enemies were oligarchs, and willing to fight dirty. Long went down into the muck, and successfully defeated them without stooping to accommodating them in any major manner.
As for his authoritarian tendencies, keep in mind that Louisiana before his rise was very far from what we'd call a Democratic state, with the vast majority of whites not even having the right to vote. His enemies were oligarchs, and willing to fight dirty. Long went down into the muck, and successfully defeated them without stooping to accommodating them in any major manner.