What is exactly the role of a phd advisor?
The quality of your relationship with your PhD adviser is one of the biggest factors in determining your quality of life during grad school.  I strongly encourage anyone in your position to consider switching advisers (which it sounds like you're doing).
I don't know what field you're in, so I can't authoritatively speak to "the way it goes" in that field.  However, speaking as a mathematician, there are a wide range of management styles.  Often, even the same PhD adviser will manage different students differently, depending on their abilities and desires.  

Some schedule a weekly hour meeting without fail; others say "come see me when you have something".  Some coauthor most of their students' papers, some rarely do. Some students, like you, feel micro-managed.  Others wish their adviser gave them more attention and cared more about their research.
 My adviser essentially let me pick all of my own research problems, which was what I wanted.  It took me longer to start publishing than some other students, but I also felt well-prepared for life on my own after grad school.

So in short, stubborn micro-management is not "just the way it goes"; rather it's just the way it goes when you're working for a power hungry egomaniac.  Run, don't walk, to find another adviser!