The Roman Republic had an effective response to extreme crisis. The Senate would authorize the selection of an individual to serve as the magister populi. He would have extraordinary powers over the three branches of government to respond to the crisis (a rebellion perhaps) and was the only officer who was excepted from legal accountability for his official actions.
The magister populi (the “people’s master”) was known colloquially in the Roman Republic as the dictator, the one who dictates to everyone else. The office served that Republic well for about 450 years—until the last dictator, Julius Caesar, decided he’d rather have an empire (and be declared a god, to boot).
