Villages, towns then cities would have been more like an expansion on the tribes, but the larger the populous, the more disconnected we become and the harder it becomes for one entity to have control without finding ways to keep eyes on everyone.

unless you want to micromanage the lives of the people on an entire continent, controlling their movements, activities, and which items they can own.

Of course, what else would the power hungry want? There is no meaning to their life without control.