Final answer:
The worst thing someone with total government control could do is abuse that power, oppress the people, and engage in acts that result in the catastrophic loss of life. Governments with unchecked power can precipitate crises like global wars, and history and philosophy suggest such a government should be immediately overthrown to protect human rights and freedoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
If an individual had total control over the government, the worst actions they could take would involve using that power to oppress the people and engage in acts that violate human rights.
Abuses of government power can lead to terrifying consequences, including the initiation of warfare that treats civilian populations as acceptable collateral damage. History has shown us through events like the World Wars that when government power is unchecked and directed towards a totalitarian agenda, the outcome can be catastrophic on a global scale.
The view that government should serve the people is one that philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau have argued passionately for. Rousseau claims that "Everywhere, man is 'in chains' from abusive governments", and he advocates for the idea that government power arises from the general will of the people. This philosophy supports the notion that if a government becomes abusive, it should be overthrown to protect the freedoms and rights of its citizens.