I'm not sure why it should be my last option. There are several problems with autocratic leadership, one of which is that many times, the whims of the autocrat are fundamentally at odds with the good of the people he manages.

Many times, maybe, but I suppose I'm arguing it's a corner case.

Perhaps that those power structures are so natural to us implies just how successful they've been in our history. And not in the sense that fear is a good motivator, but because the reality is that most principals aren't all that far removed from their agents.