The Dictators

64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History

Iain Dale

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Hodder & Stoughton
26 November 2024

Literary essays; History; General & world history; Political structures: totalitarianism & dictatorship

Were the signs that Putin is a ruthless dictator there all along? How should we deal with President Xi of China? Given the world seems to be moving more and more in favour of authoritarian rule, this is the right moment to seek warnings, and lessons, from history.

The Dictators includes elected and unelected dictators, wartime and peacetime dictators, those driven by ideology and those with a reputation for sheer brutality. How did these tyrants, autocrats and despots seize power and how did they exercise it? And how did they lose it? Very few dictators die peacefully in their own beds. Are there specific character traits that all dictators share? What can we learn from them in order to spot the warning signs in future?

Examining sixty of the most significant and notorious dictators from the 4th century BC to the present day reveals that there are common signs and conditions that enable dictators to seize power. Through the spectrum of a wide variety of dictators in different parts of the world and throughout history, themes and patterns inevitably emerge.

Iain Dale has brought together 64 different authors - a mix of historians, academics, journalists and politicians - to write about 67 different dictators.

The Dictators is acutely relevant to world politics today: it is indeed a warning from history.

By: Iain Dale
Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 46mm
Weight: 760g
ISBN: 9781399721615
ISBN 10: 1399721615
Pages: 624
Publication Date: 26 November 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Iain Dale is an award-winning broadcaster and presenter of the Evening Show on LBC Radio. He is the author/editor of more than 30 books and co-host of the For the Many podcast and the Iain Dale Book Club podcast. He was named Radio Presenter of the Year for 2013 and 2016 and is the former Managing Director of Biteback Publishing. He hosts the theatre show Iain Dale All Talk. Iain lives in Tunbridge Wells.