The Killing Machine (1964) (amazon link) is a science fiction novel by Jack Vance, the second in his "Demon Princes" series, which deals with a megalomaniac villain named Kokor Hekkus who lives on the medieval planet Thamber.
[spoilers ahead]
Kokor Hekkus is immortal and, for uncounted years, has played numerous roles on Thamber in order to enact wars, conquests and atrocities for his own amusement. One role is that of Kokor Hekkus, the evil overlord; the other, that of his opposite, Sion Truble, the commander of chief of the forces of good.
(more under fold)
The hero, Kirth Gersen, eventually unmasks Kokor Hekkus and kills him. His main henchman and accomplice, creature, companion and confidant, Seneschal Uther Caymon, is condemned to hang.
This is the speech that Caymon delivers to the crowd as he is about to be executed:
"Fools! Fools! Do you realize how long you have been gulled and milked and bled? Of your gold, of your warriors, of your beautiful women? For 200 years! I am this old; Kokor Hekkus was older! Against the Brown Bersagliers, he sent your best and they died in futility; to his bed came your beautiful girls; some returned to their homes, others did not. You will cry when you hear of how they fared! At last he died, at last I die, but fools! fools!..."
Then the executioner breaks the ladder.
Without carrying the analogy too far, because literature, after all, is allegorical at best, I have to say that the scene resonated with me when I first read it, a long time ago, and it may even have colored my political beliefs.
I do not believe in evil immortals preying on us, but I do think that, all too often, our different political parties and ideologies are just convenient labels used indiscriminately by the rich and powerful to fleece us, or worse.
Kokor Hekkus was also the great Sion Trumble, admired and supported by all the good folks, but ultimately, the fight was hollow, the wars a deception. Who are always "fleeced and milked and bled"? We are. Whose money has been handed to Wall Street? Ours. Whose blood is being spilled in Afghanistan? Ours.
This is not to say that, even on Thamber, Sion Trumble must mot have had to live up to his good image, while Kokor Hekkus could unleash his worst passions without fear. But there is a hollowness to the Great Conflict which rings true, especially in America, especially today...
Jack Vance's answer is not a revolt of the "fools" (the people),because I don't think he believes they can see through the illusion, but the rise of a providential leader who hangs his predecessors -- and then goes away to leave the Thamberians to their own fates. Sadly, that's not the way things go like in our real world...
At last they die, yes. But we, the fools, go on...