If these are the three elements of social power, then it follows that the three main tools of social power are weapons, money, and communication technologies. Democracies tend to rely more on horizontal social power, and autocracies more on vertical power; but durable large societies seem to demand both. Vertical Power Alone Is FragileTrump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller recently told CNN’s Jake Tapper,“. These are the iron laws of the world.”Trump is not the first world leader to rely almost exclusively on vertical social power. But vertical social power, on its own, often tends to lead to revolution, coup d-état, assassination, or war.